CANBERRA, Sept.2 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Senate on Tuesday agreed to repeal the mining tax with 36 votes to 33 after the Federal Government and the Palmer United Party (PUP) struck a deal to keep the schoolkids' bonus until after the next election.
PUP had insisted it would not back the mining tax repeal unless the schoolkids bonus and other assistance measures were retained.
The opposition and the Greens lashed out at what Labor's leader in the Senate Penny Wong called "a stealth attack" on the Senate.
The deal means millions of workers will not receive a promised boost to their superannuation, with the PUP agreeing to let the government delay the increase to improve the bottom line.
Compulsory super, currently set at 9.5 percent of an employee's wages, had been set to increase to 12 percent by July 2019.
PUP - led by Clive Palmer, who has made his fortune from mining - has made a deal with the government that will sacrifice that increase in order to keep spending associated with the mining tax.
The bills will now head back to the House of Representatives, where their passage is guaranteed.
Treasurer Joe Hockey heralded the vote in Question Time as a promise "delivered in full."
"The mining tax is now gone," he said.
"It is testament to a failed Labor Government, failed economic policy, failed taxation policy and a failed treasurer," he said.
"The fact is, we promised we would set about fixing the economy and fixing the budget, and that is exactly what we are doing," he added.
Hockey and Palmer United leader Clive Palmer appeared in the chamber to shake hands as the amended bill was presented.
But Labor and the Greens attacked the government for what Senator Wong called "a dirty deal."
"We have another deal ... another dirty deal where they try to ram through the chamber just like we've seen before," she said.
Greens Leader Christine Milne called the move to gag debate on the amended bill "contempt for the Senate."
"I can't remember a time when we had amendments dropped on the desk with no attempt to explain what they mean," she said.
Greens senator Scott Ludlam tweeted: "How is this Palmer mining tax deal not the biggest conflict of interest in modern political history."
Palmer dismissed the criticism, saying he had never paid the tax because of the way it was structured. "That's a negative way of looking at it," he said. "We don't see it that way. First of all I don't pay the mining tax. BHP doesn't pay the mining tax. Rio Tinto doesn't pay the mining tax."
Finance Minister Matthias Cormann rejected accusations that the government was rushing the legislation through.
"This is three hours more than the previous government spent on the whole debate in the first place," he said.
Senator Cormann said the deal would benefit the economy. "A strong mining industry...is good for Australia, good for the economy and it's an important part of generating more jobs," he said.
The mining tax, or Minerals Resource Rent Tax, is a tax on profits generated from the exploitation of non-renewable resources in Australia.
The tax, levied on 30 percent of the "super profits" from the mining of iron ore and coal in Australia, was introduced on 1 July 2012. A company was to pay the tax when its annual profits reach 75 million Australian dollars (70 million U.S. dollars), a measure designed so as not to burden small business.
On Oct. 24, 2013, the new Abbott-led coalition government announced a plan to repeal the tax, citing its belief that the tax never raised anywhere near what was predicted, had led to negative impacts on investment in mining projects, and resulted in significant compliance costs.
But supporters of the tax also point to continually-large profits produced by Australian-based mining operations, 83 percent of which are foreign-owned.
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