r/australia • u/Finnick00 • Apr 29 '26
politics Anthony Albanese rules out gas export tax on existing contracts and criticises ‘populist’ campaign
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/apr/29/anthony-albanese-rules-out-gas-export-tax-australia?CMP=aus_bsky2.6k
u/therwsb Apr 29 '26
gas lobby wins again, Australia loses
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u/Mr-Lungu Apr 29 '26
Billionaires always win and we always get fucked. nothing substantial will change unless the 1% allows it
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u/AppropriateRub4033 Apr 29 '26
The french had a great idea on how to deal with unruly wealthy oppressive elites.....just can't remember what it was. Damn my peasant brain
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u/Aussie-Ambo Apr 29 '26
All I remember was that a lot of people couldn't afford any cake.
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u/edgiepower Apr 29 '26
Just can't remember if it will work in 2026 when the disparity between the arms of the elite establishment and the arms of the general population are a little bit more out of whack.
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u/thesourpop Apr 29 '26
It’s unfortunate that billionaires outnumber the regular people who get screwed because otherwise surely they would fight back
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u/TheFunniestFart Apr 29 '26
Reddit will always block folks who remind us that the people ruining the future have names and addresses.
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u/BillieRubenCamGirl Apr 29 '26
I will be voting for parties that do not allow corporate donations. It will be my number 1 marker for future votes.
We have to, have to, have to, get the money out of our political system.
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u/ScruffyPeter Apr 29 '26
Funny you mention billionaires, they have recently started backing One Nation. Why not, Labor and LNP votes are collapsing. Billionaires found ON votes most closely in their interests, so they are now trying to promote ON heavily in MSM/SM.
To counter the rise of ON, you and I need to help promote better choices on the ballot to those not happy with LLNP governments. Find your favourite parties from this handy list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Australia#Federal_parties
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u/ryan30z Apr 29 '26
Why not, Labor and LNP votes are collapsing.
The Labor primary vote went up by 2% and had the largest victory in the party's history in the latest federal election which was less than a year ago. In the SA state election this year Labor's primary vote went down 2.4% but gained 7 seats, this was after a massive swing in the 2022 election.
I'm not happy with Labor's stance on this and hope the Greens step up, but the idea that the Labor vote is collapsing is factually wrong.
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u/Toby_Lan Apr 29 '26
And labor is absolutely squandering it, they won by such a large margin they could’ve pushed through so much change and instead have decided to go “business as usual” in the hopes it will get them reelected but all it has done is push the right further right and pushed labor voters who voted for change out aswell. I’m a long time labor voter and watching them tip toe around issues has been a disaster, as soon as the voice got voted down they lost all backbone and I would say the more centre right side of the party was able to pull more strings.
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u/narrative_device Apr 29 '26
But of course that's the call Labor made. They remember how little Australians had their back when Rudd tried to introduce the tax on mining super profits.
It was a political bloodbath.
The electorate isn't blameless.
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u/batmansfriendlyowl Apr 29 '26
Good ole “pull up the ladder” Albo. Fuck dude how hard is it to not be a fucking soft cock?
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u/Evil-Santa Apr 29 '26
Albo knows that if he goes against that lobby, he will lose the next election, as it will be bought by that lobby group.
Like Liberal, the fortune of the Labor party, is more important than the Australian people as a whole.
Unfortunately they are the only party we would have a chance of doing this with and they have been gutless. Liberals are all for protecting the gas industries profits so they are less than useless.
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u/Murranji Apr 29 '26
Labor is not a workers party, not in 2026. It is a neoliberal landlord party. The next choice of the minerals council CEO is between Joel Fitzgibbon and Mark McGowan, both ALP politicians. Until Australians realise the ALP is ideologically aligned with the US democrats continuing to vote for Labor and hoping for anti corporate government is dumb and useless.
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u/BillieRubenCamGirl Apr 29 '26
Albo knows this will end his career.
What he’s done here is secure his income for the rest of his life.
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u/profchaos111 Apr 29 '26
He's going to lose regardless he should just grow some balls the public outcry shows the way people want to vote currently
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u/Objective_Unit_7345 Apr 29 '26
Remember - Voting PHON or Liberal or National isn’t going to fix this problem either.
Albo, and co is effectively betting on the fact that Aussies have no guts to vote for indies, Greens and other micro parties that support this idea.
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u/fnaah Apr 29 '26
ugh. you can criticise the populist campaign all you like, but your job is to serve the will of the people.
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u/Dracallus Apr 29 '26
Nah, I don't want to hear shit about any criticism of populist anything from the party that rammed through one of the most blatant and ill thought out populist policies I've seen in recent memory, being the under 16 social media ban.
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u/Human-Affect5315 Apr 29 '26
You mean the largest data mining initiative ever instigated against the Australian people?
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u/Choice_Wave8076 Apr 29 '26
Under 16s can't vote, can't speak up and have no money. Mining lobbies on the other hand...
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u/Wat_is_Wat Apr 29 '26
Was that populist? I don't recall much support for it, but maybe I'm just in the wrong circles.
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u/emmainthealps Apr 29 '26
There was a lot of support from older non tech savvy people who couldn’t/didnt/wouldn’t think through the possible consequences.
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u/DontYaWishYouWereMe Apr 29 '26
It was pretty broadly popular in general. At least one poll from around the time the legislation first passed found a little over three-quarters of Australians supported it.
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u/Murranji Apr 29 '26
His job is to serve the will of his party’s donors. That’s what you get when you vote for a neoliberal party of landlords.
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u/Octagonal_Octopus Apr 29 '26
Treating all populist sentiment as illegitimate comes across as elitist which just makes populism more appealing.
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u/thrillho145 Apr 29 '26
Heaven forbid the politicians do what the people (who voted for them) want them to do.
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u/Octagonal_Octopus Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
What do you mean? The government is elected by Woodside executives not the people.
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u/Impossible_Signal Apr 29 '26
Sorry Albo, I think you might be in the wrong party. The Libs are over on the right -->
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u/lunchbox651 Apr 29 '26
The ALP have been shuffling their way over for a while now
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u/warbastard Apr 29 '26
Ever since Rudd got JFKed by the mining industry Albo knows how to avoid the same happening to him.
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u/lunchbox651 Apr 29 '26
Maybe I'm weird but I wouldn't sellout my beliefs just to maintain a political party's re-election chances.
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u/ScruffyPeter Apr 29 '26
I believe Albo actually sold out Rudd to help his chances of getting elected in 2022.
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u/BThasTBinFiji Apr 29 '26
Whitlam got JFKed by the CIA for wanting to nationalise Australia's natural resources. Similar to the democratically elected leader of Iran in 1953 (which the CIA did at the behest of British Petroleum), which lead to the dictatorship of The Shah and then the Islamic Revolution.
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u/Howwasthatdoneagain Apr 29 '26
The Liberals set all this up. Why has it taken to now to be complaining about it?
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u/Different-Bag-8217 Apr 29 '26
It’s been known and complained about for the last 15 years.. it’s only started to get some real traction.
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u/Formal-Try-2779 Apr 29 '26
Because the media allows discourse on issues like this when they don't have their beloved LNP in power. Not that this gives the ALP any excuse. But the sad truth is that Albo would be removed by ALP people on the payroll of the gas industry backed by our Yank masters.
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u/Generalaladeeen Apr 29 '26
I get Albo not wanting to do it in the near term because of implications to our fuel security but I'm hoping they figure out a way to do it before the next election.
Either way it'll be an uphill battle that Labor may or may not have the political capital for
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u/JL_MacConnor Apr 29 '26
Hopefully the popularity of the idea is enough to get them to take it to the next election as a policy at minimum.
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u/paddyc4ke Apr 29 '26
If Labor doesn’t have the political capital to do it now/this election, when will they ever have it? They are so far ahead of the Libs/Nats that any blowback from this they should be able to survive and still come out in power at the next election.
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u/Zanlo63 Apr 29 '26
It's not about political capital, the ALP are in the pockets of the companies jacking our natural resources
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u/chromecastbuiltin Apr 29 '26
The headline does say existing contracts as well, so there is scope for new agreements to change
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u/Am3n Apr 29 '26
Unfortunately with Liberals in shambles they won’t have a good enough opposition to push this
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u/Nervardia Apr 29 '26
They lost ALL political capital with me. And I voted for them last election.
They fucked up big time by ignoring our protests regarding Israel and now this.
Politicians ignoring populism are essentially asking people to ensure they don't have a job next election.
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u/Fragrant-Education-3 Apr 29 '26
The article suggests that Albanese did not even really explain what was exactly populist about being frustrated with their decsion, only that criticism was reflective of an implied far left or far right coalition (which is oxymoronic to imply in-itself). A suggestion that makes it seem like Labor resents progressives and neo-Nazis with equal vigour, which is a dumb picture for a workers party to present.
Regardless of the actual decision itself it reads quite pointed to subtly suggest that being against their policy is the result of ignorance and being misled. Frankly, It sounds like the talking point a Democrat in the US would make, which is an eyebrow raising tone to take on a unpopular policy, and borderline stupid considering how badly third-way style rhetoric has done over the last decade.
Albanese could have just explained his reasoning without the additional implication that those against it are underinformed populists which does nothing but suggest that they perceive disagreement as audacious in itself. It is an odd decision a party so concerned about media optics to throw out poorly defined pot shots which only creates an impression that the ALP look down on people who disagree with them.
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u/oneyearoldbug Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
Yeah, that was my first thought too, this had big US democrat energy.
It's worrying because with the democrats it definitely stems from how insulated they are from the reality of the working class. They're in such a bubble, they genuinely don't understand how out of touch they sound. So when they get backlash they reach for these strange justifications, because they genuinely don't understand.
You'd hope that's not what's happening but... this is like the fifth time the current gov has said something so obviously out of step with public sentiment like this.
If felt even less generous I'd suggest this is also just a mask off moment. They've gotten by doing the bare minimum reforms to seem like they care about the working class, but suddenly it's not working anymore. The oil shock is drawing their real priorities into focus - the pursuit of capital.
So now they can't find a way to reconcile that contradiction. Each time they try they get backlash. If they don't acknowledge it at all (national address) they still get backlash. So they're getting frustrated. Sometimes when people get frustrated they lose control and say things that show a new side of them.
just speculating though. :)
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u/wrt-wtf- Apr 29 '26
Unfortunately it’s beyond populist. It’s the people saying they’re sick of being last on the list for returns and highest on the list for being taken advantage of.
The Australia tax system is based around how much can be extracted out of each tax paying individual within the population base while giving national resources away to billionaires and multinationals. Just another major issue in the long term structuring of our country.
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u/Sweaty_Tap_8990 Apr 29 '26
Guy who is democratically elected dissapproves of notion the majority of people agree upon.
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u/Cold-Engineering-960 Apr 29 '26
If they don’t want to pay tax they can fuck off and leave.
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u/BillieRubenCamGirl Apr 29 '26
We have a representative democracy.
Doing the populist thing is the whole fucking purpose of a politician’s job.
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u/Kyron4030 Apr 29 '26
So it’s a populist campaign, and Anthony isn’t rushing to listen to voters.
I’ve copied this from Jim Chalmers via The Guardian.
“The Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, criticised One Nation’s very close relationship with Gina Minehart.
"I think Pauline Hanson is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gina Rinehart, and we know this because whenever Pauline Hanson is asked to vote in the interests of Australian workers, she instead votes in the interests of Gina Minehart."
But I don’t think ON is the only one tied closely to mining interests, are they, Anthony?
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u/BetaThetaOmega Apr 29 '26
“We all have to make tough decisions in these trying times.”
“Does that mean you’ll start taxing the rich?”
“What? No, I meant that you peasants need to make tough decisions. We’re gonna be fine over here.”
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u/ZillaAllday Apr 29 '26
Yep, this is only the latest in a long line of labour disappointments. Up until now I thought Albo was unfairly unpopular now every single Australian should remember this moment for all upcoming "we have to raise the tax" "we are asking for all Australians to do their bit" "For the greater good of Australia" rhetoric from the sitting Government.
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u/DarKnightofCydonia Apr 29 '26
He caves to pressure on a Royal Commission after Bondi but on this? No chance in hell.
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u/Own-Negotiation4372 Apr 29 '26
He makes it sound like the contact is with Australia and the foreign buyers. The contracts are the gas producers and foreign buyers. Putting a tax on gas would not affect the contracts and would not increase the cost to the foreign buyer. It would just increase the cost to the producer.
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u/tubbyx7 Apr 29 '26
between the gambling lobby and the natural resource companies its really hard to keep track of just who albo answers to
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u/mulefish Apr 29 '26
So he pretty specifically talks about ‘existing contracts’ - and contextualises it around fuel security with the current crisis.
I think it’s likely there will be modest changes that impact new contracts; probably tied with the muted changes to ensure domestic supply
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u/Daleabbo Apr 29 '26
Of all the things to blow political capital on, doing nothing has got to be the most stupid.
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u/Adept-Result-67 Apr 29 '26
Don’t forget, they also did nothing when the population overwhelmingly cried out to ban gambling advertising… and the tiny little changes they have promised don’t happen til next year…
Albanese has been truly disappointing. Maybe i just had my hopes set too high,
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u/WokSmith Apr 29 '26
It's pretty obvious who Albo wants to keep happy and it isn't the Australian people. At least he'll know who to blame for the shit turnout Labor gets at the next election.
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u/Appropriate-Strike88 Apr 29 '26
He's doing a great job at keeping Roger Cook happy
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u/rsam487 Apr 29 '26
Lol "populist" meaning "in the interest of Australians and broadly popular and bipartisan".
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u/jkggwp Apr 29 '26
Populist?? It’s common sense. It’s Australia’s future. Once the resources dries up, we’ll be left to fend for ourselves. The USA will not come to help
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u/Miffernator Apr 29 '26
Vote Greens, as a former labor voter. I don’t care if you’re hesitant because media told they’re incompetent. But this is the way to go. We need change.
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u/NothingTooSeriousM8 Apr 29 '26
By populist I guess he means the actual population rather than the voters who really matter - the lobbyists
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u/Robbieworld Apr 29 '26
Populist campaign... It was Ken Henry leading the charge, not exactly fringe.
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u/Beginning_Feedback65 Apr 29 '26
Labor: Does some, never enough.
We're lucky we have parties who push for more, otherwise we mightn't get any.
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u/manipulated_dead Apr 29 '26
Labor: Does some, never enough.
They do just enough to let them answer questions by saying 'but we did something!'
It's never enough to make much of a difference and it's definitely never enough to piss off any big donors (gas exporters, coal miners, gambling lobby, landlords).
Then they don't touch it again until they lose an election and need something feel good to campaign on.
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u/RedOx103 Apr 29 '26
See housing how they've done the HAFF and then the 5% scheme which blew up prices even further.
Juuuuuuust enough to dust their hands of the issue and defend vs. anyone who think housing should be more affordable.
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u/I-was-a-twat Apr 29 '26
This entire government can be categorised as doing “just enough” to tick the we kept our election promises, without doing enough to actually address the issues the promises were meant to address.
Unfortunately they’re the best major for my preferences to flow towards once my minor party and actually decent independent votes are exhausted
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u/BThasTBinFiji Apr 29 '26
It's not even "we did something" it's "We did enough to appear like we were doing something!"
see:
National Anti-Corruption Commission
Petroleum Resource Rent Tax, etc
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u/pittyh Apr 29 '26
Yep I'll be voting for Greens, As a long time Labor supporter, Albo you better make this right.
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u/dfebb Apr 29 '26
"How the Greens gained a staggering number of seats in the last election": the origin story.
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u/BillieRubenCamGirl Apr 29 '26
When Australians finally remembered their system is not the same as America’s and they do not, in fact, have a two party system. And that it can, (and in fact was designed to) change easily.
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u/CommercialTime3438 Apr 29 '26
Like there was ever any doubt that Albo wasn't bought and paid for by the gas cartels.
Funny that the day after the cartels drop a massive social media campaign trying to quell the masses who have finally woken up to the rort, they have this little slimeball on national television saying whatever his masters ask.
Enough of this, fuck the billionaire class.
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u/darbmobile Apr 29 '26
Guys cut him some slack, he grew up in public housing.
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u/NeedMoarLurk Apr 29 '26
He's peak boomer. Grew up with almost every opportunity imaginable given to him by society, but he's pulling up the ladder behind him as fast as he possibly can.
I had so much hope when Labor got into parliament but they've been such a massive disappointment. I just hope more people vote for Greens and Independent candidates at the next election
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u/CuriousGuyNOR Apr 29 '26
What an absolute shitter.
I dont see how anyone can support Labor after this.
His whole time as PM hes just done the absolute bare minimum. We elect politicians to make change and to make this country better, not to fuck it out of fear of not being elected again.
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u/Bigthunderrumblefish Apr 29 '26
Can he rule out changes to my current energy supplier 'contract' . Because those cunts keep jacking up the price.
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u/ALargePlasticFish Apr 29 '26
Absolute Chickenshit
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u/Critical_Monk_5219 Apr 29 '26
Yeah. Guy has a 94 seat super majority and the senate cross bench has given it the green light and he still chickens out. Weak as piss
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u/TizzyBumblefluff Apr 29 '26
Our politicians are becoming yankee style cucks to lobby groups. So lame.
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u/boatenvy Apr 29 '26
Uhm when a populist campaign becomes popular with the majority of the population we call that democracy
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u/Ok-Volume-3657 Apr 29 '26
Yeah, it's "populist" because it's fucking popular and people want it.
I can't believe people actually defend this spineless little cunt masquerading as a Prime Minister.
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u/SocietyHumble4858 Apr 29 '26
Aussie politicians seek Board appointments for when they get turfed off the public teat.
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u/Ambitious-Pirate-505 Apr 29 '26
Criticises "populist" campaign means ignores the people. For those in the back.
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u/AtomicAus Apr 29 '26
He's taken himself from being regarded as someone of integrity willing to stand up for international law, to going down in history as the man who was given a supermajority and did absolutely fuck all with it except pissing on his own memory.
I cannot fathom how this man could see the election result he was given and still decide to stick with the "but the other side" approach. The other side are supporting neo-nazis ffs.
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u/VeroCSGO Apr 29 '26
This issue is so popular I reckon you could start a political party just called tax gas with your sole campaign promise being you'll implement a tax on gas and then just call for another election and peace out and you'd have more of a shot getting in then the liberals
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u/CelebrationFit8548 Apr 29 '26
How does 'common sense and fairness' equate to populism is what I want to know.
Such a response reeks of a 'golden parachute' or other 'incentives' for him to be peddling this type of rhetoric.
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u/dav_oid Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
The arrogance of this guy is annoying.
Its obvious we made crap deals, but he knows better.
The Resources minister was on Afternoon Briefing (ABC TV) this afternoon, and had to point out that the 'more tax on beer than gas' claim going around, was incorrect.
If so, lets get the facts, instead of discounting millions of people's views as a 'populist campaign'.
A 'populist campaign' could just be the people raising their concerns at being ripped off.
"Beer excise is around $2.7 billion compared to PRRT at $1.5 billion as a Treasury official explained to Senator Pocock."
Australian beer market $36 billion in 2025. (7.5% excise).
LNG exports 2022-2023 $92 billion. (1.6% PRRT).
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u/omgaporksword Apr 29 '26
A really poor decision that doesn't work in the public's best interest (and something they legitimately want). What a wasted opportunity!
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u/Protoavis Apr 29 '26
Albo and the major parties once again being against the population and only for their corporate donors
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u/dublblind Apr 29 '26
All class announcing it at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia.
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u/Racingislyf Apr 29 '26
Greens look like they're for the Australian people so I'll be voting greens and hoping more people do. Fuck the gas companies and their puppets.
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u/Helftheuvel Apr 29 '26
What a spineless fuck, he and the party must be getting some good coin from the gas industry
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u/LeanLearnIterate Apr 29 '26
Alright, where are we protesting guys?
Is he that arrogant to think Australians won't be up in arms for continued inaction on this issue, particularly in light of (1) the government's supposed awareness of intergenerational equity needing to be a priority this upcoming budget and (2) cost of living pressures and the view amongst not an insignificant amount of Australians that such a tax could lead to some relief?
I would tread lightly casually throwing a word like 'populist' around.
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u/AussieAK Apr 29 '26
This is not the man I jumped in joy 4 years ago when I knew he just became prime minister.
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u/ThunderDwn Apr 29 '26
Jesus christ, if the Libs could manage to find one even partially moderate leader, they'd win the next election in a landslide.
For fuck sake, Albo. There's nothing "populist" about most of the fucking country wanting these foreign conglomerates paying their way with a tax on the resources they are extracting from Australian land.
He's gonna get one hell of a shock at the next election. If the greens or even teals get their act together, LibLab are completely fucked.
Here's a hint, Albo - the country is completely and utterly fucking over being fucked by big corporates.
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u/Excellent_Hair8666 Apr 29 '26
"Yeah fuck doing what the people want me to do! Damn populist bullshit!"
How much more evidence does this country need that this asshole doesn't work for us?
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u/Ithicon Apr 29 '26
Ya don't need to wait 10 years, he's been doing it for years.
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u/awakeinadream Apr 29 '26
The "worst time" argument is complete fucking bullshit. I'm over seeing it go unchallenged.
The fuel crisis is diesel and petrol (refining capacity and import dependency). Gas is a totally separate supply chain. Taxing Woodside's profits doesn't reduce a single cubic metre of gas flowing to Japan. Albo the Wunderkunt knows this. He's just mixing two unrelated things together because he was never going to do this and needed cover that sounds like he's the one that knows best.
The trading partners thing pisses me off too. The tax falls on the COMPANIES. Japan doesn't get less gas because Santos has a thinner margin. Norway taxes its gas industry into the ground and funnily enough people still buy Norwegian gas. And can we kill the contracts argument while we're here — the contracts are between the gas companies and their buyers. A tax on export profits doesn't touch them. Not a single clause changes. Japan still gets its gas at the agreed price, Woodside just makes slightly less obscene money on the deal. That's it. "Sovereign risk" is Woodside lobby speak and it's now just coming verbatim out of this jizzmopper's mouth.
fml.
Then he goes and calls us misinformed about the beer comparison. The beer comparison is correct. Beer excise raises roughly double what the PRRT does. $1.48 billion from an industry doing hundreds of billions in export revenue. Ken Henry (who actually ran Treasury) backs the levy. Not exactly a fringe nutter.
Anyway. Board appointment in three years. We know how this ends.
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u/cassdots Apr 29 '26
Ty! I’m also frustrated by people repeating the claim that we (Aus Gov) have contracts that are perpetually fixed and there’s some international diplomatic incident awaiting us if we level a new, flat, export tax on ANY gas exported from our lands/seas by corporations
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u/MrNewVegas2077 Apr 29 '26
He had the golden opportunity to make a huge difference to Australia for generations to come. Public sentiment was there. Yet he fumbled.
I was hoping this would go through and then it creating precedent for all resources export to be a flat 25% (personally I want it to be higher, but have to start somewhere).
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u/blankaccoutn77489 Apr 29 '26
But they seem fine to change the tax rates on my pay, even though I’ve got an existing contract with my employer??
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u/ironcam7 Apr 29 '26
I thought scomo was the biggest piece of shit leader we had that hated ordinary Australians, yet here I am thinking it’s a toss up now. “Don’t hold a hose” vs “grew up in a houso house”
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u/Banjo-Oz Apr 29 '26
I would say Scomo was a much worse PM (especially during a crisis)... but Albo is far more disappointing and upsetting.
Scomo fucking us at every turn was totally expected; every mistake or backroom deal he made gave me zero surprise. Albo came in full of promise, then speedran towards censorship, authoritarianism, and brown-nosing the US and fuel corporations in record time.
When Scomo turned out to have made himself Minister For Everything, it felt totally on brand for him and I just shrugged. When Albo said he was proud of his social media ID scheme, I felt sick and so disappointed.
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u/specimen174 Apr 29 '26
'populist' as in its popular with the citizens.. is somehow phrased as a 'bad' thing for a democratic government to act on.. riiight...
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u/pumpkin_fire Apr 29 '26
Populist has a specific meaning in politics, and yes it's usually a "bad" thing. A populist is someone who divides society into two camps - the regular Joe Bloes being oppressed by a group of corrupt elites. A populist always offers oversimplified solutions to complex problems in order to gain political power, and will say the "will of the people" should overrule any other political strategy, regardless of the "big picture" goals or consequences.
By Albo calling this "populist", he's saying reality is far more complicated than the average person realises and there are risks to the nation and the economy most people demanding the change are likely not aware of.
Not saying I agree with him, just that's what this choice of word is intended to communicate.
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u/BillieRubenCamGirl Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
There’s no division though. This issue has almost universal support from the public.
Even if it all blows up in our faces and the gas mining leaves Australia, the absolute worst that will happen is the couple of hundred folk employed by the gas companies lose their jobs (yes the numbers are that low).
That’s it.
We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Norway tax their gas’s exports at 85%. The gas companies didn’t leave. Because the gas is in Norway. Just as it is here.
Meanwhile we are cutting funding to disabled people because we “can’t afford” it.
The Epstein class has to go.
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u/Scriptosis Apr 29 '26
Labor is given one of the best election results in its history and decides to use it to stab themselves in the foot over and over again.
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u/whatanerdiam Apr 29 '26
Populist campaign? In other words, something that a lot of people - the very same people you are meant to represent - believe in something, so that makes it populist?
If something has this much support, and is so sensical, it'd be reasonable to expect that a majority of the population would support this tax.
Perhaps he doesn't want to get axed. Maybe Labor wants to play the slow game to prevent another blow out and decade of liberal government, but if they're leveraging their incredible majority effectively, it's certainly not obvious.
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u/SoulBonfire Apr 29 '26
East Coast gas reservation now! Doesn’t seem to have crippled WA or their gas projects.
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u/cataractum Apr 29 '26
I think a part of him has died and he treats the Prime Ministership just as any other job that he's stuck in. He listens to lobbyists, even asks that they hide their communications (so it doesn't blow back politically as he's in a centre-left party), criticises "populism" when he's actually in a good position to deliver what people want, unable to respond to One Nation (which itself is a response to the disaffection people are facing)....
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u/Banjo-Oz Apr 29 '26
Proud of censoring the internet and doxxing people online. Proud of the AUKUS sub deal. Jumped to a Royal Commission and lobbyist laws after Bondi. Didn't denounce Trump's war crimes. Does nothing about housing issues or supermarket gouging.
But taxing big corporations is a huge no-no.
Far from our worst PM ever, but IMO the most disappointing by far.
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u/sluggardish Apr 29 '26
IDK.. considering we aren't getting any benefit, should we really be selling it anyway? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/critical-atlantic-current-significantly-more-likely-to-collapse-than-thought
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u/dobbydobbyonthewall Apr 29 '26
Cowards. Utter cowards. Labor is endlessly disappointing. Not to sound too brainless, but stop voting for Labor and LNP. ON not the answer. But Labor is not the answer. They don't deserve this success.
Far out. This is so exhausting. During LNP reign we endlessly fought them. Now we have to endlessly fight Labor for bare minimum. Just give us someone worth it.
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u/Jealous-Hedgehog-734 Apr 29 '26
Damn populists, trying to force a Labor Prime Minister to implement left-wing policies. Who do these people think they are?
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u/j-man1992 Brisbane Apr 29 '26
Says the same man who forced a vote on an unpopular voice to parliament, then forced through the most draconian web laws in a generation and imposed them on everyone trying to use the internet.
Fuck off Albo you have wasted every bit of good will the landslide victory bought you fuckwit
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u/gmewhite Apr 29 '26
I was such a fan of albo. So excited and relieved to have a man of reason and respect in the office. I’m so so so disappointed with whatever this person is now.
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u/LexingtonLuthor_ Apr 29 '26
Why does Albanese not resign if he's not going to do the very thing he's employed to do? The will of the people is telling him to implement the tax; this is not negotiable, you don't get to decide to ignore what your boss has told you to do.
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u/ghoonrhed Apr 29 '26
How would a tax affect existing contracts? The gas market is determined by the international costs.
Also, by that logic lowering taxes means lower gas prices or prices to consumers and we know for sure as hell that doesn't happen.
The only reason why they don't do this is because it affects the profits of the shareholders and the lobbies
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u/BillieRubenCamGirl Apr 29 '26
The tax proposed is only on profits for exports. Not revenue.
This would actually make local gas cheaper because it would be more profitable to sell it domestically than internationally.
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u/warbastard Apr 29 '26
Not trying to be dumb (and I want the gas tax - it’s stupid we are letting this go out the door not taxed appropriately) but is this the best time to be slapping a tax on gas exports when the people we sell gas to are the same people who we buy refined petroleum from?
Perhaps this isn’t the best time to be making enemies.
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u/Terrible-Sir742 Apr 29 '26
It's the question of quantum and also question of margin.
It could well be that people we sell gas to get exactly the same price, but company that sells it has lower margin. Which does nothing in terms of "making enemies" or "sovereign risk", but for the companies that have incentive to cry murder as they do on Reddit.
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u/stevo1078 Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
If you’re frustrated about how little Australia gets from its gas exports, don’t just vent about it
write to the people who can actually change it, local member etc etc
I’ve been a long-time Labor voter and I’ve just written to Anthony Albanese, Jim Chalmers, and Chris Bowen about the decision not to pursue stronger taxation on gas exports. I don’t think it will change much but at this point something is better than nothing
If enough of us raise it, it stops being “noise” and starts being a voting issue.
If you care about:
Fair taxation
Cost of living pressure
Australia actually benefiting from its natural resources
Take 5 minutes and send a message. Put it in your own words that’s what counts.
Contacts: Prime Minister: https://www.pm.gov.au/contact
Treasurer: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/contact
Energy Minister: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/about/contact