Mark Ogge is widely published on climate and energy issues, specialising in the gas industry and the impacts of climate change, particularly the effects of heat and heatwaves. He is Principal Advisor at The Australia Institute.
Faced with the prospect of being forced to supply gas to Australians instead of exporting it under the Government’s proposed gas reservation policy, the Big Gas exporters who have spent the last decade whipping up fear of a gas shortage now say supplying more gas will mean the Australian gas market is oversupplied.
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Australian ratepayers had a big win yesterday as Australia’s 537 local councils agreed to call on the Albanese government to impose a national levy on coal, oil and gas companies to help them cope with escalating climate damage.
Australia’s peak council for community services ACOSS has joined the torrent of support including the Greens and independent members of parliament for a 25% levy on gas exports, originally proposed by the ACTU.
In the lead up to the Australian Budget, reporting in the AFR shows leading Australian economists including former Deloitte partner Chris Richardson and former head of the ACCC Rod Simms have called for big increases in tax on the gas industry in the light of rising gas prices caused by the Iran war.
Last week, Senator David Pocock proposed a Senate inquiry into the “extraordinarily low rates of revenue Australians receive from the export of our gas resources.”
Whether we realise it or not, everyday Australians are already paying for the damage fossil fuel companies are causing to our climate through more frequent and extreme fires, floods, heatwaves and other disasters.
For the last decade, Australians have been continually told by the gas industry, media commentators and politicians we have a gas shortage. These claims are almost always used to pressure Australian governments to approve open new gas fields on the basis that the gas is needed to supply Australians and reduce gas prices.
The Australian Government lets foreign owned gas companies export vast amounts of gas above and beyond what they need to fulfil their export contracts, while leaving Australians short.
Far from fixing the problem of low PRRT revenues, PRRT revenue is expected to fall further over coming years, while beer excise just keeps on rising.
You could be forgiven for thinking Australia’s support last week for the COP30 declaration on a “transition away from fossil fuels”, means the Australia Government is, or at least intends to transition away from fossil fuels.
