To address the housing crisis, the ACTU has proposed a series of tax reforms. But is it true that nurses pay more tax than oil and gas companies in Australia?
Mon 4 Aug 2025 00.00 AEST
Photo: Insiders / Sally McManus
When calling for the implementation of a 25% tax on revenue produced when fossil fuel companies export gas from Australia, ACTU Secretary Sally McManus claimed:
“The nurses of Australia pay more tax than oil and gas companies.”
First, on the substance of the policy proposal: analysis by The Australia Institute shows that a 25% tax on gas export revenue would raise around $12.5 billion annually, enough to triple the Australian government’s housing expenditure.
In fact, the research showed the ACTU’s proposed tax on gas exports would raise enough revenue to:
But what of the claim that nurses pay more tax than oil and gas companies?
Australia Institute research shows that over the last 10 years, Australia’s nurses have paid $52 billion, or an average of $5.2 billion per year, in tax.
By contrast, the oil and gas industry has paid $45 billion over the same period or, on average, $4.5 billion per year.
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“The ACTU’s proposal would not only provide a large boost to Commonwealth revenue that could vastly improve Australia’s health, education and housing, it would cut energy bills for Australian households and businesses by incentivising gas companies to supply more gas to Australians and in turn lower the price,” said Richard Denniss, Executive Director of The Australia Institute.
“Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of gas, but the Australian government receives more from HECS repayments each year than it gets in revenue from the broken Petroleum Resource Rent Tax each year.”
“The introduction of a gas export tax would incentivise gas companies to supply more gas to the Australian market, bringing down both gas and electricity prices for Australian households and businesses.”
McManus’ claim that nurses pay more tax than oil and gas companies in Australia is TRUE.
Furthermore, the ACTU’s proposal for a 25% tax on gas export revenue would provide a significant boost to the Government’s funding for housing, would help to fix a broken tax system for oil and gas exporters, and provide enough funding for the government to do a lot of good.
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Changes to eligibility requirements will see 160,000 participants cut from the scheme over the next four years, as the government looks to cap annual growth at 8 per cent by 2028. Disability advocates are describing the decision as as ‘revolting’, ‘frightening’ and ‘deeply troubling’.
The response to the overdue structural changes to the housing tax concessions announced in Tuesday’s federal budget seems a real-world red/blue button question. The number of people jumping to ‘I’m screwed’ because they’ll have to pay slightly more tax on any potential sale, based on any gain – the profit – they made on their purchase, is as individualistic as you can get.
