$7.5 Billion mining tax disgrace

The loss to the public purse of $7.5 billion from the budget as a result of Prime Minister Gillard's mining industry back down is a disgrace which will only get worse in the years after 2013, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"That's $7.5 billion which small business, schools, hospitals, public housing and transport won't have and these figures indicate that more than $4 billion will be drained out of every future budget because of the Gillard Government's post-Rudd back-down to the mining barons," Senator Brown said.

"The Abbott Opposition can hardly crow - it wants all the minerals resources tax returned to the miners.

"That would impact on the public purse even more," Senator Brown said.