We Produce It. We Should BE ABLE TO AFFORD It.
Australian small and medium businesses are struggling with energy costs while multinational gas companies are making super profits from our gas. It’s time Australian businesses got a fair deal.
Why Australian businesses Deserve a better deal on gas
Australia is one of the world's largest gas producers — yet Australian businesses are paying the price. Since large-scale gas exports began, domestic electricity and gas costs have soared, with Australians forced to compete with international buyers for energy that comes from our own backyard.
It’s time Australian businesses got a fair deal.
Sign the open letter to call on our Government to:
✔ Introduce a 25% gas export levy — make international companies pay properly for extracting our national resource and lower gas/electricity prices here
✔ Establish a domestic gas reserve — so Australian businesses get first access to Australian gas at a fair price
✔ Reinvest some of the revenue into Australian businesses — energy efficiency grants, solar, batteries, and real support to reduce our energy costs long-term
Why Sign The Letter
Q. How would a 25% export levy and a reserve reduce gas and electricity costs in Australia?
A broad based export levy of 25% would essentially mean that selling to domestic gas buyers would become more attractive compared to international buyers. This alone could reduce wholesale electricity prices by over 15% (1).
In WA a gas reserve has resulted in whole sale gas prices being up to 55% cheaper than they are on the East Coast of Australia (2).
Q. Is it true that the government makes more in beer tax than it does in gas resource tax?
Yes this is true.
Gas companies do pay other types of taxes like all companies, but still they get their product (our Australian gas) for a steal. In fact over the past decade they’ve paid on average less than 32% of their revenue on the federal resource tax PRRT (3). It’s time to get a fairer deal.
Q. How are local gas and electricity prices in Australia impacted by gas exports?
When Australia began exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the East Coast in 2015, it fundamentally changed how domestic gas is priced. The LNG industry now has the opportunity to export gas or sell it domestically, meaning local users now compete with overseas customers — pushing prices to align with international markets. The flow on effect is significant, LNG exports have tripled domestic gas prices over the past decade, while also contributing to a doubling in electricity prices (4).
(1) Future Group Senate Submission in to gas taxation, 2026
(2) AEMO, Quarterly Energy Dynamics Q3 2025
(3) Future Group Senate Submission in to gas taxation, 2026
Q. How could up to $17b a year in revenue generated from a 25% gas levy be used to support Australian business access cheaper electricity?
Revenue from a gas levy could go along way. We want to see at least part of the revenue going towards helping businesses electrify and gain greater energy security. Think batteries and solar, potentially alternative liquid fuels fir farmers - support to become your own energy produce. Have other ideas, please let us know when you sign on!
Q. Does Japan make more money from taxing Australian gas than Australia?
Yes, it’s true. Not only has Australia been literally giving more than half of the gas we export away for free, we now learn that the same Japanese Government that is opposed to us putting a tax on our gas and coal exports, has been raking in billions of dollars per year via their own tax on gas and coal imports. Japan has imposed a tax on oil and gas imports since 1978, expanding the tax to cover coal in 2003. Over the last five years, Japan’s energy import tax has delivered an average of AUD $8 billion per year to the Japanese Government. Substantially more than the $1.4 billion raised by the Australian Government’s Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT). (6)
Q. Could putting a levy or a national reserve on gas harm our trade relationships?
An export levy is not expected to materially impact export prices or volumes, it a tax on the exporting company not the buyer. Buyers purchase Australian gas in an international market that sets the rates. However, some trade partners are voicing their concerns in large part because they are also shareholders in the large multinational corporations that export Australian gas (7).
(4) IEEFA,"The Hidden Costs of the LNG Boom, 2025
(6) The Australia Institute, Japanese Government collects more tax from Australian gas than Australian Government, 2026
(7) Lowy Institute, Amending Australia’s export gas regime does not undermine gas
for fuel negotiations, 2026