Former Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said there is a national appetite for a tax on gas exports, days before the Labor Party's National Conference in Adelaide.
Wed 22 Jul 2026 09.52 AEST
Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Former Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said there is a national appetite for a tax on gas exports, days before the Labor Party’s National Conference in Adelaide.
Speaking to the ABC’s 7:30 program on Tuesday evening, Mr Shorten, who is now the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Canberra, was asked about reports a gas export tax was going to become Labor policy.
“Yeah, I think probably the time has arrived to consider reviewing the taxation on gas,” Mr Shorten said.
“So yes I think there’s a national appetite.”
Mr Shorten said Australians were asking how it is fair that gas companies were making such a big profit.
“The time is right to have that discussion,” he said.
Support for a 25 per cent tax on gas exports, as put forward by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, has received wide support across the country, uniting politicians from all sides of politics, big business and environmental organisations.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Labor MP Ed Husic said Australians “deserve a fairer, better deal on our resources”.
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“It’s estimated (a 25 per cent tax on gas exports) could deliver up to $17 billion for Australia,” Mr Husic wrote.
“We should use this money to invest in the long term good of our nation”.
Ed Husic will be speaking on ‘A 3-Point Plan for Gas’ at an event at the ALP Conference Fringe Festival this Thursday, along with Australia Institute co-CEO Richard Denniss and Thomas Mayo.
Polling by RedBridge shows there is wide support across party lines for a gas export tax, including strong support from One Nation and Greens voters.
The polling also showed that One Nation voters were more likely than the Greens to agree that Australia exports too much gas.
A recent push for a plebiscite into the issue has already attracted more than 68,000 signatories, and according to the Australia Institute’s Gas Tracker, Australia has missed out on more than $74 billion since July 2022 by not implementing a 25 per cent tax on gas exports.
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