The WA government's second attempt at a gold royalty hike has been officially killed off again in the upper house.
Under the revised scheme, the royalty rate would have increased from 2.5 to 3.75 per cent when the gold price was above $A1400/ounce instead of the previously planned $1200/ounce, which the upper house had rejected.
When Treasurer Ben Wyatt announced his revamped plan, which aimed to generate $332 million over four years and provide an assistance package for marginal mines, the opposition and crossbenchers immediately said they would not back it.
The upper house officially blocked the proposal late on Tuesday by passing a disallowance motion brought by Pauline Hanson's One Nation MP Robin Scott, who represents the Mining and Pastoral Region.
Nationals leader Mia Davies said the McGowan government's standing in the gold industry had been tarnished by Mr Wyatt's "unrelenting attack on the sector" and lack of consultation.
"Let's not forget this is the same government which before the election promised no new taxes for West Australians," she said on Wednesday.
Ms Davies also accused the government of being sneaky and dishonest.
Reg Howard-Smith, CEO of The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA, called on the Labor government to permanently abandon its ill-fated plan.
"Our WA gold industry makes a very significant contribution to the WA economy through direct employment, purchasing of goods and services, community contributions and payments to government," he said.
"The government should respect the will of the parliament and now give the gold industry a chance to do what it does best - continue to invest heavily in exploration, which will in turn create further jobs and stimulate economic growth."
