Fact Check

Scrapping the mining tax and Children in detention (1x3)

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Scrapping the mining tax The claim: Mathias Cormann says scrapping the mining tax would improve the budget position by $13.8 billion. The verdict: The $13.8 billion figure is not from scrapping the mining tax alone. It includes abolishing eight spending measures, the largest of which was never associated with the mining tax. Senator Cormann's claim is exaggerated. The Federal Government says the mining tax is not raising any money. At the same time, it says scrapping the tax will benefit the budget by over $13 billion. "Only the Labor Party can be so incompetent to come up with a massive new tax targeting an important industry for Australia, the mining industry, and leave the budget worse off," Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said on March 18. "The fact that scrapping the mining tax would actually improve the budget position by $13.8 billion tells you everything you need to know about the mining tax." The Senate rejected legislation to repeal the mining tax on March 25, when Labor and Greens senators voted against it. In the Senate debate, the Coalition argued the tax was discouraging resource investment, particularly in the state of Western Australia, and was raising little revenue. Labor argued mining companies should be paying more tax for exploiting Australian resources. ABC Fact Check examines Senator Cormann's claim that the budget position would be $13.8 billion better off without the mining tax. -- Children in detention: Is Australia breaching international law by keeping children in immigration detention? The claim: Gillian Triggs says under international law, children should not be detained for longer than absolutely necessary for health and security checks. The verdict: Experts agree with Professor Triggs, and UN treaties also make it clear that children should not be placed in detention for any length of time. The Australian Human Rights Commission is conducting an inquiry into Australia's practice of placing asylum see