Hundreds of Northern Beaches residents packed out the Warriewood Community Centre in late September 2026, sending a clear message to Canberra: it is time for multinational gas corporations to pay their fair share.
Hosted by Independent Member for Mackellar Dr Sophie Scamps, the “Tax Our Gas Exports” community forum brought locals together alongside Independent ACT Senator David Pocock and Surfers for Climate CEO Josh Kirkman for a panel discussion and audience Q&A on Australia’s gas tax settings.
The key focus of the evening was addressing why Australia’s current taxation model fails to deliver an adequate public return on non-renewable resources, and how simple structural reform could generate billions to fund essential public services and ease cost-of-living pressures for local families.
In Short
- Community consensus: Hundreds of Northern Beaches residents packed a Warriewood forum to demand multinational companies pay a fairer share for Australian resources.
- Revenue gap: Despite generating over $65 billion in LNG export revenues in 2024–25, gas corporations paid just $1.3 billion under the current PRRT system.
- Proposed reform: Independent MPs Dr Sophie Scamps and Senator David Pocock are advocating for a 25 per cent gas export tax, which could raise an estimated $17 billion annually for essential public services.
The Numbers Behind the Gap
Figures presented at the forum highlighted a stark divide between corporate revenues and public return:
$65 Billion+: Australia’s LNG export revenues in 2024–25.
$1.3 Billion: Total collected by the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) over the same period.
$17 Billion: Estimated annual revenue that a flat 25% tax on gas exports could generate, according to modelling by The Australia Institute.
75%: Percentage of Mackellar voters who support introducing a 25% gas export tax, according to recent local polling.
Both Dr Scamps and Senator Pocock advocated for a straightforward 25% export tax, while confirming they remain open to alternative structural tax mechanisms that ensure Australians receive a proper yield from resources they collectively own.
What the Leaders Had to Say
Dr Sophie Scamps MP (Federal Member for Mackellar):
“Australians own these gas resources. When multinational companies make billions exporting them overseas, it is only fair that Australians receive a proper return. At a time when families are under real cost-of-living pressure, a fair gas export tax could raise billions for the hospitals, healthcare, schools, childcare, and infrastructure our communities rely on.
“Three in four people in Mackellar support a 25 per cent tax on gas exports. This is not a left or right issue – it is a question of fairness and whether Australia is prepared to secure a better deal from resources that belong to all of us.”
Senator David Pocock (Independent Senator for the ACT):
“Australians are being dudded. Multinational gas companies are shipping out gas that belongs to all of us and paying next to nothing for it. Both major parties, government after government, have let this go on for far too long.
“A 25% gas export tax would raise around $17 billion a year – money that should be building things here, paying down our $1 trillion of debt, and building our future. If the government can’t bring itself to legislate an export tax, the least they can do is bring in a windfall profits tax.”
Josh Kirkman (CEO, Surfers for Climate):
“Coastal communities understand that our natural assets are precious and finite. If companies profit from exporting Australia’s gas, the public deserves a proper return that helps build a stronger and more resilient future.”
With strong local consensus at the Warriewood forum, Dr Scamps and crossbench colleagues plan to keep pushing the gas taxation debate on the floor of Federal Parliament, urging both major parties to close existing loopholes and deliver a fairer return for Australian households.
