Why a strong industry body creates a powerful industry

One of the most significant events in a series of events that lead to the replacement of Kevin Rudd by Julia Gillard as Prime Minister in mid-2010, was the massive anti-mining super profits tax campaign run by the Minerals Council of Australia.

Minerals Council's (now former) CEO, Mitch Hooke, was already known as a formidable lobbyist prior to the May 2…