Mining sedition wins again as Grylls loses Pilbara

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From the ABC:

West Australian Nationals leader Brendon Grylls has conceded defeat in his seat of Pilbara, following a $2 million campaign against him by the mining industry angry at his iron ore tax proposal.

Speaking to Australian Associated Press, Mr Grylls said he would not be able to overturn a deficit of several hundred votes.

The ABC’s election computer no longer lists Pilbara as a seat in doubt, putting Labor’s Kevin Michel more than 500 votes ahead and declaring the seat for him.

“I can’t come back from this,” Mr Grylls said.

It is understood Mr Grylls will meet Mr Michel later today to concede defeat in person.

Mr Grylls has been contacted for further comment.

His defeat comes after the mining lobby waged a multi-million-dollar campaign against him, over his proposed tax on BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.

Mr Grylls had wanted to increase a 25 cent per tonne iron ore lease rental fee imposed on the two miners to $5 per tonne.

Sigh. Did my best for ya, Brendan, but in Nauru big mining wins every time.

About the author
David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific’s leading geo-politics and economics portal. He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.