WAYNE Swan says the tax summit pushed by the independents may discuss his mining tax legislation after Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott insisted the issue get a public airing.
After first signalling the issue would not go to the tax summit, the Deputy Prime Minister conceded there may be a discussion about the mining profits tax in that forum and he was relaxed about that provided the policy was being progressed through the parliament.
The exchange was an untidy opening to minority government and the Coalition was quick to seize on the stumble.
''The happy couple haven't even left the chapel and they're arguing about the mining tax already,'' the shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said.
High-profile billionaire Andrew Forrest, of mining company Fortescue Metals, lobbied the two rural independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott to push for a tax summit as part of their deal to form minority government.
Mr Forrest is a vociferous opponent of the tax and like some other industry opponents, saw the summit as a vehicle to reopen the mining tax debate.
The agreement between Julia Gillard and the two independents commits Labor to ''convene a public forum of experts on taxation'' to discuss the Henry review before June 30.
Yesterday morning, Mr Swan said the independents were not insisting that the mining tax be considered at the summit. ''I don't think you'll find that the independents (are) insisting on that at all.''
But after his press conference, a spokesman for Mr Oakeshott insisted the mining tax should be considered at the summit. ''This should be a public discussion about how we structure the tax system,'' Mr Oakeshott's spokesman told The Age. He said the public discussion needed to include the resources tax.
In an early morning radio interview, Mr Windsor said he thought the resources tax was going to be included in the tax summit and he expressed surprise that Mr Swan believed otherwise.
After a conversation with Mr Swan, Mr Windsor said he had been speaking at cross purposes with the Deputy Prime Minister, and the misunderstanding had now been cleared up.
But after that conversation Mr Swan allowed the possibility of a discussion at the tax summit. ''I'm relaxed about that but the government is very firm in its commitment that we must progress this piece of legislation and as we do that, because we've got to get it through the Parliament, there will be very close consultation with the industry but also with all members of Parliament in the House of Representatives and the Senate,'' he told the ABC.
Mr Swan said the legislation would probably take six months to prepare given it was the subject of a consultation process being led by former BHP Billiton chairman Don Argus.
The Greens would like a more punitive tax on the mining industry but leader Bob Brown said he accepted his party did not have the numbers to amend the proposal.
Mr Swan emphatically denied that he would hold the tax back for a more friendly Senate. ''I'd like to get this into legislative shape as quickly as we possibly can. So there's no notion - let's be really clear - there's no notion in my mind of delaying the considerations that are so important for this tax until we get a change in the Senate numbers - just none,'' he said.
Steve Fielding said he could be convinced to support the revised mining tax but he would not be rushed.
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