rio and bhp worked with gillard to knife rudd

Rio Tinto and BHP worked with Gillard to knife Rudd, says Forrest

By staff writers From: news.com.au April 18, 2012 9:31AM


SENSATIONAL new claims have emerged that Julia Gillard rolled Kevin Rudd even though he had an 11th hour plan to resolve the mining tax impasse that could have saved his government.

It contradicts the version of events from then Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard that she was forced to challenge Mr Rudd to resolve the deadlock over the mining tax.

Today’s Australian Financial Review quotes Fortescue metals magnate Andrew Forrest as saying he and Rudd had been working on a compromise deal that would have seen mining companies avoid the super profits tax of 40 per cent by writing off capital expenditure on infrastructure investment.

Mr Forrest said the new tax deal was being worked on frantically by Mr Rudd but was not given a chance to be finalised because Ms Gillard challenged and won the Labor leadership, effectively killing the deal.

"The Prime Minister's office was desperate to get the deal finalised and announced that week," Mr Forrest said.
"We sensed something was happening, but we had no idea Rudd was about to be removed as prime minister," Mr Forrest told The Australian.

"By Monday night, we felt we had an agreement. On Tuesday, Rudd told me he had the cabinet with him. I wasn't trying to hide what was happening, and that week I told people the resource super-profits tax, as we know it, is dead."

Mr Forrest said the two biggest miners, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto had gone behind the backs of others in the mining industry to secure a better deal with Julia Gillard.

"The word was 'Rudd's being rolled'," Mr Forrest said. "We were thunderstruck.

"We believed our proposal was an incredibly good deal for the country.

"We didn't realise then that BHP and Rio had gone behind our backs to do another deal."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/rio-tinto-and-bhp-worked-with-gillard-to-knife-rudd-and-kill-super-tax-compromise-says-fortescue-metals-andrew-forrest/story-e6frf7l6-1226331131647