2026-10-15
This morning Shadow Resources Minister Senator Susan McDonald said the Coalition is interested in the scheme but wants changes. McDonald warned that if domestic gas prices fell to the point where exploring and developing new projects was no longer economic, Australians would get only a short-term “sugar hit” of cheaper gas.
This demonstrates that the Coalition’s vision for this policy is maintaining high gas prices for households and manufacturers, continued expansion of new gas fields, and the nation locked into extortionate gas consumption for the foreseeable future instead of a fast transition to clean, reliable, renewable energy.
The Greens are calling for a minimum 25% tax on gas exports, which the Australia Institute estimates would raise $17 billion a year.
Comments attributable to Greens Deputy Leader Senator Steph Hodgins-May:
“This morning the Coalition made an extraordinary admission. The price of their support for Labor’s gas reservation bill is locking in bigger profits for gas corporations and higher gas prices for Australians.
“Susan McDonald’s big worry is that gas corporate profits might fall too much.
"This is in the context of a bumper year for gas corporations, where Trump’s illegal war helped supercharge Woodside’s half-year profit by 27% and Shell’s quarterly profit to more than double last year’s.
“It’s never been clearer. The Liberals work for their gas donors, not for people, and Labor is ready to follow suit.
“Now Labor has a clear choice to make. They can do a terrible deal with the gas-guzzling Liberal Party for more expensive energy bills and a fracking free-for-all, or they can join the nearly two in three Australians who want a gas export tax.
“A minimum 25% tax on gas exports would raise $17 billion a year to spend on actually making people’s lives better. And it would put downward pressure on energy prices.
“So we say to Labor: do a deal for everyday Australians, not for gas donors. Work with the Greens.”