Mining and Energy Bulletins
Bulletin Vol. 13, No. 14
27 May 2010
New Rich List reveals: Mining Bosses increase their personal fortunes by $9 Billion in 12-months
No wonder the mining bosses are kicking and screaming against the Rudd Government’s proposed super-profits tax – they don’t want to share any of the enormous wealth they make from Australia’s non-renewable natural resources with the people who own them.
It is purely and simply a matter of GREED.
The release today of the Business Review Weekly (BRW) annual Rich 200 List, reveals that Australia’s richest mining bosses increased their personal fortunes by $9 Billion in the past 12-months. That is $9 Billion on top of the Billions they were already worth last year.
The two most vocal and hysterical opponents of the new super-profits tax are WA’s Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest and Queensland’s Clive Palmer.
Twiggy Forrest is the 4th richest person in Australia with a $4.24 Billion fortune while Mr Palmer comes in 7th with $3.92 Billion.
Both of these made their entire fortunes from exploiting the natural resources that belong to the people of Australia.
The idea that billionaire mining bosses and billionaire mining companies cannot afford to give the Australian people a fairer return on the resources that we own is absurd.
That mining bosses like Twiggy Forrest and Clive Palmer continue to amass massive fortunes while mining communities struggle to keep pace with the sharp end of the resources boom, is equally obscene.
