Alex Gallacher voted very strongly for a minerals resource rent tax

The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bill for a third time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the bill, as amended, is passed in the Senate. It will now be returned to the House of Representatives so that they can consider the Senate's amendments.

Background to the bill

This bill was introduced following the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2013 (No. 2) being laid aside because it could not "be progressed in its current form".(Read more about this bill being set aside here. The division which resulted in that bill being laid aside is available here. )

This bill repeals the Minerals Resource Rent Tax as well as related measures such as the low income superannuation contribution, the income support bonus and the schoolkids bonus. The bill also revises the capital allowances for small business entities and the superannuation guarantee charge percentage increase.(Read more about the changes made in the bill in the explanatory memorandum. ) Under the previous Labor government, the superannuation was set to increase to 12 per cent by 2019 (as of 1 July 2014, it is at 9.5 per cent).(Read more about superannuation in Australia here.) However, this bill will push that rise up until 1 July 2025.

The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bill for a second time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the majority agreed with the main idea of the bill and that the Senate can now discuss it in more detail.

Background to the bill

This bill was introduced following the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2013 (No. 2) being laid aside because it could not "be progressed in its current form".(Read more about this bill being set aside here. The division which resulted in that bill being laid aside is available here. )

This bill repeals the Minerals Resource Rent Tax as well as related measures such as the low income superannuation contribution, the income support bonus and the schoolkids bonus. The bill also revises the capital allowances for small business entities and the superannuation guarantee charge percentage increase.(Read more about the changes made in the bill in the explanatory memorandum. ) Under the previous Labor government, the superannuation was set to increase to 12 per cent by 2019 (as of 1 July 2014, it is at 9.5 per cent).(Read more about superannuation in Australia here.) However, this bill will push that rise up until 1 July 2025.

The majority voted against a motion to read the bill for a second time.(Read more about the stages a bill must pass through here. )

This means that the majority disagreed with the main idea of the bill and that the bill will no longer proceed.

Background to the bill

The bill was first introduced into the House by Treasurer Joe Hockey to repeal the minerals resource rent tax ('MRRT'), which the Coalition called the “mining tax”.(You can read more about the MRRT here. ) The tax began 1 July 2012 and applies to profits earned from the extraction of mineral resources such as coal and iron ore. Its abolition was an election promise of the Coalition during the 2013 election campaign.(You can read the Coalition's policy here.)

The bill also repeals the schoolkids bonus, the income support bonus and the low income superannuation contribution.

References

The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bills for a third time and so pass them through the Senate. As they have already been passed in the House of Representatives, they can now become law.

Background to the bills

These eleven bills were introduced as a package to create a minerals resource rent tax ('MRRT').(Read more about the MRRT here.) The tax is set to begin on 1 July 2012 and apply to profits earned from the extraction of mineral resources such as coal and iron ore.

The eleven bills are:

• Minerals Resource Rent Tax Bill 2011
• Minerals Resource Rent Tax (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2011
• Minerals Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—General) Bill 2011
• Minerals Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—Customs) Bill 2011
• Minerals Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—Excise) Bill 2011
• Petroleum Resource Rent Tax Assessment Amendment Bill 2011
• Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—General) Bill 2011
• Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—Customs) Bill 2011
• Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—Excise) Bill 2011
• Tax Laws Amendment (Stronger, Fairer, Simpler and Other Measures) Bill 2011
• Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Amendment Bill 2011

The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bills for a second time.

This means that the majority agree to the main idea of the bills, which was to introduce a minerals resource rent tax. The Senate can now discuss them in detail.

Background to the bills

These eleven bills were introduced as a package to create a minerals resource rent tax ('MRRT').(Read more about the MRRT here.) The tax is set to begin on 1 July 2012 and apply to profits earned from the extraction of mineral resources such as coal and iron ore.

The eleven bills are:

• Minerals Resource Rent Tax Bill 2011
• Minerals Resource Rent Tax (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2011
• Minerals Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—General) Bill 2011
• Minerals Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—Customs) Bill 2011
• Minerals Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—Excise) Bill 2011
• Petroleum Resource Rent Tax Assessment Amendment Bill 2011
• Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—General) Bill 2011
• Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—Customs) Bill 2011
• Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (Imposition—Excise) Bill 2011
• Tax Laws Amendment (Stronger, Fairer, Simpler and Other Measures) Bill 2011
• Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Amendment Bill 2011