A National Plebiscite

A National Plebiscite for a 25% Gas Export Tax

Australia Institute research shows voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support a 25% tax on gas exports, which could raise an estimated $17 billion in revenue each year. Yet the Australian Parliament has failed to act.

Join the call for a national plebiscite to introduce a 25% gas export tax, add your name to make sure the gas industry pays its fair share.

What you're signing

To the Parliament of Australia --

We, the undersigned, are calling for a national plebiscite so that voters can send a direct message to the Australian Parliament.

Let the Australian public decide the following question:

"SHOULD THE AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT INTRODUCE A 25% TAX ON AUSTRALIA’S GAS EXPORTS?"

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314 signatures Goal: 1,000 signatures

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Common questions

A plebiscite is a national vote on a question that does not affect the Constitution (Parliamentary Education Office), in this case:
"SHOULD THE AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT INTRODUCE A 25% TAX ON AUSTRALIA’S GAS EXPORTS?"
A plebiscite is different from a Referendum, which is a vote of the Australian people on a proposed change to the Australian Constitution.
A plebiscite does not have legal force. If a plebiscite is held, the Parliament decides on how it is run. The government would choose the exact wording of the question.
Every Australian would have the opportunity to hear the arguments for and against, and then vote "YES" or "NO".
A plebiscite measures the level of public support on a matter – and gives every Australian a chance to have their say.
If most Australians vote "Yes" to a gas export tax, that would send a strong message to the federal government.
A recent example of a plebiscite is the 2017 postal survey on marriage equality, in which 62% of Australians voted YES to the question" "Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?"
Later that year, Parliament respected the majority result by voting to change the law to allow same-sex marriage.

As the name suggests, a gas export tax is only applied to gas exported overseas.
Any Australian gas exported overseas would attract a 25% gas export tax.
Gas companies could avoid the export tax by selling the gas to the Australian domestic market, increasing domestic supply and lowering domestic gas and electricity prices.
A gas export tax would not affect the price of Australian gas exports for Australia’s trade partners because commodities like gas, oil and coal are not like manufactured products. Gas is sold into a world market at the world price. No one in the world pays a ‘premium’ for Norwegian gas because the Norwegians impose a 78% tax and Australian gas does not currently sell at a discount on world markets because we have been giving our gas away for free.
The gas export tax will be absorbed by the gas companies such as through lower profits and dividends for their owners.
A gas export tax would not stop gas export companies from meeting their existing contractual obligations. Australian gas exports already far exceed the volume of ‘contracted’ gas supplies. In fact, last year Australia sold more ‘uncontracted’ or ‘spare’ gas on what is called the ‘spot market’ than all of the gas used in Australia by all households, all industries and all electricity generators.

A 25% gas export tax, first proposed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, would raise an estimated $17 billion a year in revenue.
Australia Institute research has found that over half (56%) of gas exported from Australia attracts zero royalty payments, effectively giving a public resource to multinational gas corporations for free.
Gas exports worth over $170 billion paid zero royalties and little Petroleum Resource Rent Tax from 2021 to 2024.
Australians pay nearly $4bn more each year in HECS/HELP repayments than the oil and gas industry pays in Petroleum Resource Rent Tax.
Australian nurses pay more tax than the gas industry.
Farmers pay more in company and personal income tax than the oil and gas industry pays in Petroleum Resource Rent Tax.
Nurses paid more income tax than the PRRT and company tax paid by the oil and gas industry (from 2014-15 to 2023-24). The same is also true for teachers.