The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has again urged the Victorian government to dispose of a 2.75% royalty on gold produced in the state from 2020 onwards.
The MCA’s executive director for Victoria, James Sorahan said on Thursday that the imposition of the new gold tax had damaged Victoria’s reputation as a stable place to do business and hurt the future prospects of mining workers in Ballarat, Bendigo, Stawell and Heathcote. The gold royalty that will be implemented by the Victorian government is higher than the one imposed in Western Australia, which produces 68% of Australia’s gold.