And if you needed a lesson in how the mining industry works, here is a classic example.

Q: The Minerals Council of Australia has criticised the idea of a critical mineral strategic reserve saying it would undermine the financial viability of projects and be pointless. What do you think?
 
Husic: 

If I measured every day the Mineral Council were upset with something that governments were doing, I wouldn’t get my day done so I expect that type of comment out of them.
 

Q:  But they represent and understand the industry.

Husic:

Well, we have to do what we think is right in the nation’s interests. Sometimes there will be stakeholders that take a different view. There are a lot of other sectors, a lot of other industry players that recognise that we’ve got their back and that’s what we’ll be doing.

The policy has no detail. It is literally just a sentence ‘critical minerals strategic reserve’.

Which just means – keeping some critical minerals for Australia, instead of allowing mining companies, which pay very little tax and contribute very little to Australia, to take them all and sell for trillions of dollars of profit.

And yet, the framing of this is BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MINING INDUSTRY?

But mining lobbyists are very good at this. It’s why Andrew Carswell is appearing more and more in the media as a commentator on the campaign and politics in general and only being explained as a ‘former political advisor to Scott Morrison and consultant’ with no mention of the fact that he counts the Minerals Council among his consultancy clients. So he’s getting the opportunity to talk up nuclear (which the Minerals Council supports – gee, I wonder why) and criticise renewables in the media as if he is just commentating on politics and doesn’t have a vested interest.

And that’s how power works in this country.