Pressure on the Business Council of Australia (BCA) to reveal which members informed its opposition to a gas export tax sparked a heated exchange on Wednesday, with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young reminding BCA Chief Executive, Bran Black, that he “wasn’t in ASIO”.
Former schoolteacher and Punter’s Politics founder Konrad Benjamin says he is “taking the hits” and doing "Albo’s job for him" on gas tax reform, while his crowdfunded “people’s lobbyist” campaign reflects public frustration with how policy decisions are made and who influences them.
The Coalition’s solution to the energy crisis is to double down on fossil fuels. But is this a real solution, or are they merely adding more fodder to the culture wars? Well, you guessed it, "drill, baby, drill" doesn't work in reality.
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Shell executives struggled through a combative parliamentary hearing, repeatedly clashing with senators and warning a new export levy or windfall tax would be “spectacularly ill-advised”.
Former Treasury secretary Dr Ken Henry has delivered blunt advice to a Senate inquiry examining the taxation of gas exports. He urged Canberra to overhaul its tax regime, criticising decades of policy settings that have delivered limited public returns. He said a 25 per cent flat tax on gas exports was “a pretty small taxation burden relative to the price increases that have occurred recently.”
The first public hearing for the Select Committee on the Taxation of Gas resources saw environmental and community groups argue Australia is failing to secure a fair return from its gas exports, with a proposal for a 25 per cent export tax gaining traction.
Powers used by the NSW government to restrict protests in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack have been ruled unconstitutional by the state’s highest court. The legislation was rushed through an emergency sitting of Parliament in December following the attack, which killed 15 people.
Under the Public Order Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, WA Police would be given expanded powers to refuse a protest permit if it is considered “likely to promote hate”. Human rights advocates have strongly criticised the proposal, warning it’s an “alarming overreach into basic democratic freedoms”.
This is the third of three articles examining the value private health insurance and private healthcare bring to the Australian health system.
“Some major banks and other forecasters are speculating that, depending on global events, the unemployment rate could rapidly rise,” said the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) CEO Cassandra Goldie. “The government must act urgently at the Federal Budget to make sure people are protected and we are well-prepared for any potential economic downturn,”
US allies are being forced to rethink their security and economic ties as Donald Trump lashes out at his geopolitical rivals and traditional partners. Speaking on the Australia Institute’s Follow The Money podcast, US political expert Dr Emma Shortis said global leaders are “absolutely appalled” by Trump’s warning that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if Iran failed to meet his deadline to strike a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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Welfare advocates have told a Senate inquiry that a proposed 25 per cent tax on gas exports could lower domestic energy prices while generating billions to support low-income households.
One of the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change has urged Australia to reassess its reliance on fossil fuels and impose a 25 per cent tax on gas exports. Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Ralph Regenvanu, told SBS that Australia should be using the global energy crisis as a catalyst to ramp up its shift to clean energy.
Just seven months out from the state election, Victoria’s parliament is scrambling to draft new political donation laws after the High Court ruled its existing caps unconstitutional. Lawyers for independent candidates Paul Hopper and Melissa Lowe successfully argued that the major parties gained an unfair advantage by exploiting a “nominated entities” loophole.
The longer days of summer offer desk jockeys like me a seasonal opportunity for direct sunlight. After work, I like to go swimming. But my local pool, like too many others across Australia, has fallen into a dire state of disrepair.
