Bad news for miners. The government of Australia reiterated its position on Tuesday it will press ahead with the planned controversial resource tax without making significant concessions to the mining sector, Treasurer Wayne Swan said.

Interviewed over the Australian Broadcasting Corp., Swan said the government is "absolutely determined to proceed with the tax within the framework that I outlined on May 2."

He added: "There is a very strong case for them to pay more."

Australia's biggest mining firms, including BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto are spearheading a group of miners opposing the planned 40 percent mining profit tax. The mining sector is pressing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to revisit the proposal and water down the new tax measure.

But Rudd's government seems unwilling to compromise despite not getting the much needed public support for the bill. The latest survey conducted by Newspoll showed that 41 percent of Australians are opposed to the plan with only 36 percent in favour.

However, while Rudd is losing votes, support for the Greens is gaining ground as it rose 4 percentage points to a record 16 percent, according to the latest telephone survey of 1,149 people between May 28 and 30 from two weeks earlier as the major parties battle over the tax,

Both Labor and the opposition Liberal-National coalition slipped 2 percentage points in their primary vote to 35 and 41 percent, the survey showed. Rudd's Labor party leads Tony Abbott's coalition 51 to 49 on a two-party preferred basis, after being tied two weeks earlier.

Malcolm MacKerras, a visiting fellow in political science at the University of New South Wales said the election is still wide open and all parties can still swing a surprise landslide victory.

MacKerras said public opinion on the issue remains divided as Australians believe the mining industry saved the economy during the global economic crunch.

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