Brendon Grylls claims miners spent $5m to block tax

Written on the 17 March 2017

Former Nationals leader Brendon Grylls believes the mining industry spent up to $5 million to defeat his party's proposed mining tax at the ballot box.

But he said the WA Nationals had been massively outspent by the mining lobby.

"Quite clearly, we were up against a bigger opponent than Labor, Liberal, Shooters and Fishers, and One Nation," he said.
The mining lobby campaign was led by the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy whose chief executive, Reg Howard-Smith, said he had spent more than $2 million dollars fighting the Nationals.

Key points:

• Brendon Grylls says the mining lobby (CME) spent at least $5 million campaigning against him, after he proposed an increase in mining taxes
• The move should raise questions about the role of corporations and vested interests in elections, Grylls says
• The CME would not be interviewed, but in a statement said the campaign was not about targeting an individual
• In his first interview since conceding defeat in the seat of Pilbara, Mr Grylls told ABC Radio Karratha he had been determined to win the debate over his mining tax proposal.

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Source: ABC News