Workplace
Relations Minister Kevin Andrews, the Government’s Torquemada, is putting
Kim Beazley on the rack over his comments linking the Beaconsfield accident with government industrial
relations policy.
He’s demanding an apology from the Labor leader.

What a
furphy! Malcolm Farr nails it beautifully in the Telegraph today.
He calls it “a stunning over-reaction… baseless and ignorant… hugely
hypocritical”.

Another
politician should be undergoing trial by ordeal over mining. That’s Peter
Costello.

A union rep
was out on ABC radio this morning warning that safety will be an issue if the mining
boom continues. There won’t be enough experienced people.

Commodities
are keeping the economy afloat – yet the Treasurer keeps warning us that the
boom won’t last. “Resource companies, which are getting extraordinarily high
prices at the moment will have to cope with moderating prices, returning to
more historical levels,” he said at a doorstop a fortnight ago.

But it
won’t just be the resource companies that will have to cope. Petey and his pals
down at Treasury will have to do their sums again. They might get them very
wrong if other people crash our markets or demand drops.

Then
there’s the issue of the currency. Exporters around the country are screaming
as the Aussie surges towards US80c.

The media
today will be full of stories about how much mortgage payments will go up by in
the wake of the RBA’s decision to raise rates. But will we hear anything about a stronger
dollar and the pain it causes?

The
inquisition should be out there sweating Cossie with: “Treasurer, when the
commodities boom ends – as you insist it will – where will Australia’s export income
come from?”