MINING ROYALTIES

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): My question is to the Premier. Given the Treasurer's admission during question time yesterday that an increase in mining royalties has been on the government's agenda for months, why wasn't the government up-front with the public and the mining industry about this, prior to the March 2010 state election? When asked during question time yesterday about mining royalties, the Treasurer stated, and I quote:

It is no secret that I want to increase royalties: I actually announced it publicly some months ago.

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:25): My memory—and I know it is very acute—is that the Deputy Premier has spoken for some time about the need to bring our royalties into line with the Liberal government in Western Australia. It is exactly the process that he has been talking about for some time, and if you wait until later on this afternoon you will find out what his resolution has been.