More than 100 Australian artists have joined forces with Green Music Australia to demand a 25% tax on gas export revenue, as global conflict fuels energy instability and gas corporations rake in record profits, The Music reports.
The campaign includes some of Australia's biggest names: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Missy Higgins, Jimmy Barnes, Amyl and the Sniffers, Midnight Oil, and Yothu Yindi, among many others.
Their argument is straightforward: after the Ukraine war began, major gas exporters like Shell, Santos, Chevron, and Woodside more than doubled their profits, amassing over $92 billion in 2022 alone. Meanwhile, Australians are struggling with skyrocketing energy costs and the government is pleading poverty when it comes to climate action.
"We export our gas, they make record profits, and we get stuck with the bill," the campaign states. "It's time corporations paid their fair share."
The proposed 25% export tax would generate billions in revenue that could be used for renewable energy transition, cost-of-living support, or climate adaptation. The precedent exists: Norway has long taxed its oil and gas exports at high rates, building a sovereign wealth fund worth over $1 trillion.
Australia, by contrast, has one of the most generous tax regimes for resource companies in the developed world. Gas exporters pay minimal royalties in most states, and corporate tax loopholes mean they often pay far less than the headline rate.
The result is a market where investors have structural advantages over first-home buyers. When an investor can claim tax benefits that a young couple can't, the investor wins the bidding war. It's not a level playing field; it's a rigged game.
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