Australia’s recently resigned resources minister has unleashed a torrent of public criticism, after posting a heartfelt note of farewell to “the mining sector” on his Facebook page.

Canavan stood aside as federal minister for resources and northern Australia this week after it was revealed he held dual Australian and Italian citizenship. He has blamed his mother for the oversight, and is mounting a legal battle to remain in the Senate.



“It has been such an honour to represent the Australian mining sector over the past year,” the July 27 post begins.

“From the small, gambling explorers and prospectors to the large, world-beating multi-nationals, the industry provides rich and diverse experiences that can take you to the smallest towns of outback Australia to the biggest cities in the world.”

The note, which also touches on the current state of commodity prices and jobs, sparked instant outrage from readers, who noted Canavan was “supposed to represent the people of Queensland, and not private mining companies.”

Indeed, the very first comment (below) which said exactly that, has since received more “likes” than Canavan’s own post – although it should be noted that there are many comments in support of Canavan and of his dedication to mining, too.



Other comments suggested his ode to the resources sector looked suspiciously like a job application.



And others just make some really interesting points….





