26 August 2026

 

THE Australian Greens have reiterated their calls for a gas tax amid reports that the Labor government is further watering down an already weak reservation policy to placate gas corporations.

 

Reports on Monday in the Australian suggest that Labor is considering significant changes to the as-yet-unseen gas reserve, alleged to have been written in collaboration with the industry, after petitioning by gas corporations.

 

While the gas reserve policy was weak from the outset, this further bending of policy in response to demands from the gas industry just highlights how captured the Albanese government is by gas interests.

 

Labor and the Liberals last week shut down the Senate’s attempts to force transparency about Santos’ lobbying efforts in Canberra - but Monday's reports, of a weaker gas reserve and Liberal funding of pipeline infrastructure, show the results.

 

A minimum 25% tax on gas exports will both deliver revenue and ensure that gas is not used to pump up gas exporters' profits while raising energy prices at home.

 

Greens resources spokesperson Senator Steph Hodgins-May has previously commented by saying, “Albanese has wasted no time rushing to appease his gas industry mates and calm them down over even the most watered-down commitment to a fair return on our resources in his party’s platform.

 

“The fact he has to run cover ahead of time for such a weak commitment - it shows just how anxious the gas industry is, and just how in bed with them Labor is.

 

“Albanese has once again decided that the voices of a majority of Australians and even Labor's own members matter less to him than the gas lobby.

 

“The Prime Minister has claimed that ‘a fair return on our resources’ doesn’t have anything to do with a tax on gas exports, which raises the question of what exactly he thinks it does mean - because what we’re seeing now under Labor is far from fair.

 

“‘Now isn’t the right time,’ is straight from the gas lobby’s playbook. It’s funny how it’s never the right time for multinational gas corporations to pay their fair share.

 

“Labor is all talk and no action. Words by themselves do not lower power bills or provide cost-of-living relief to families doing it tough.

 

“Until a gas export tax is legislated and multinational gas corporations are actually paying their fair share, this groundswell will only grow larger and stronger."

 

Senator Larissa Waters, leader of the Australian Greens said that yet again, the gas industry  says ‘jump’, and Labor asks how high. "Instead of taking on the greedy gas corporations, Labor keeps doing everything they ask for," she said.

 

“This further weakening of an already weak policy just shows how much the Labor government is willing to bastardise policy to suit corporate interests.

 

“Instead of doing what the public want and climate needs, Labor continues to approve new gas and refuses to tax exports.

 

“Gas corporations’ greedy drive for export profits has created this problem, and allowing them to design the scheme won’t fix it.

 

“Labor’s weak gas reserve doesn’t generate any revenue, but a 25% gas tax would divert billions of dollars away from gas corporate profit towards the services we all use.”

 

Senator Steph Hodgins-May said that the gas industry had their greedy mitts all over the gas reserve policy from the very start. She was clear that a policy designed by the gas industry won’t stop them from ripping Australians off, but a 25% tax on gas exports will.

 

"The gas policy weakening came just days after Santos’ lobbyists were caught cruising around Parliament speaking to the major parties," she said.

 

“The Albanese government has made it clear that their priority is protecting corporate profits, not people.

 

“More than 60% of Australians support a tax on gas exports, but the Prime Minister is listening to his gas donors, not people. The Prime Minister’s refusal to tax gas has nothing to do with trade and everything to do with protecting gas corporate profits.

 

“The Greens will keep fighting alongside the majority of Australians until we see a minimum 25 per cent tax on gas exports all the way to the next election.”

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