THE Greens said yesterday the mining industry is crippling the state's agriculture and manufacturing sectors by inflating the Australian Dollar, but State Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter says the figures are misleading.
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Greens mining spokesperson Larissa Waters said only four per cent of Queenslanders were employed in the mining industry, which inflated the dollar and crippled other industries.
An Australian Greens representative claimed yesterday even Mount Isa was anecdotally concerned with the mining industry, making reference to a fly in, fly out (FIFO) submission made by the Mount Isa City Council late last year.
The submission had outlined the detrimental affect of FIFO workforces on mining communities in general, but was limited to discussing the non-residential workers rather than the entire industry.
"Mining doesn't create jobs, it only takes them from other industries, as Treasury has confirmed," Senator Waters said.
"Those other industries, especially agriculture and manufacturing, also suffer from the increased Australian dollar pushed up by mining."
Mr Katter said the mining industry provided people with opportunity which was consistently being knocked down by the Greens.
"Pinning the high Australian dollar on the mining industry is misleading and does not attribute to the true culprits being consecutive policies of Liberal and Labor, that inflated dollar is far more influenced by the high interest rates fuelled by foreign investors who use money for speculation on property and shares," he said.
"This is a dangerous and misleading assertion from a dangerous group of people that will drive our national prosperity into the ground if left unchecked.
"The dollar should be lowered by lowering interest rates and not by an all-out assault on the mining industry.
"Australian industry competes with overseas interest rates some 200 to 300 per cent lower which is an insurmountable advantage and is simply not sustainable."
He said Katter's Australian Party policy for some time had been to bring down the dollar by bringing down interest rates to save our farming, manufacturing and mining (not quarrying) industries.
Senator Waters continued to say the mining industry was making a negative impact on Queensland families, particularly in reference to FIFO workers and affects on families.
"The social and economic impacts of mining are doing lasting damage and come on top of damage to the environment, which underpins a healthy economy and a healthy society."
