The Prime Minister's office has requested urgent modeling for new taxes on gas and coal exports as global conflict drives domestic fuel costs higher, exposing the absurd reality of Australia being one of the world's largest energy exporters yet unable to control its own prices.<br><br>The ABC reports that the government is exploring options to tax fossil fuel exports to generate revenue for shielding Australians from price spikes driven by the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. It's the resource curse playing out in real time.<br><br>Think about the logic: Australia exports massive quantities of liquefied natural gas to Asia while Australians pay international market rates for their own energy. Now, as war drives prices up, Canberra is considering taxing those exports to subsidize domestic consumption. We're literally paying to extract our own resources, selling them overseas, then taxing the sale to afford them back.<br><br>The modeling request signals genuine government concern about energy security despite Australia sitting on some of the world's largest gas reserves. That should tell you how little control successive governments have exercised over energy policy, prioritizing export revenue over domestic supply guarantees.<br><br>For Pacific Island nations watching this unfold, it's a cautionary tale about resource dependency. Papua New Guinea faces similar dynamics with its own gas reserves, where export contracts lock in supply for foreign buyers while domestic electrification stalls.<br><br>The proposal will face fierce industry opposition. Mining and gas companies have spent decades arguing that export taxes damage Australia's competitiveness and international reputation. But when Australians can't afford to heat their homes using their own gas, that argument rings hollow.<br><br>Climate activists will point out the obvious: instead of taxing fossil fuel exports to make them affordable, perhaps Australia should accelerate the transition to renewables. The government canceled a renewable energy reserve mechanism only months ago, claiming it was too expensive. Now they're contemplating export taxes to manage fossil fuel price volatility.<br><br>Mate, there's something deeply broken about an energy policy that requires taxing your own exports to keep domestic prices down. This is what happens when you treat critical infrastructure as a purely market commodity.