Written by:
Future Group
29 April 2026
Following the success of Business for 75 in mobilising the business community to back strong climate targets, one of the coordinators behind the campaign appeared at Parliament House in Canberra to fight for a better deal on gas exports.
Future Group General Manager, Impact & Advocacy Christina Hobbs was in Parliament making the case directly to politicians about the impact of soaring gas and electricity prices on Australian businesses.
There’s a national conversation happening right now about Aussies getting a fair share from their gas resources, after modelling commissioned by Future Group confirmed that taxing gas exports would not only bring in up to $17b in revenue per year, but also make gas cheaper back home here in Australia.
Since large-scale LNG (liquid natural gas) exports began in 2015, electricity prices across much of Australia have jumped 73%. Gas prices have tripled. And unfortunately many of the international companies extracting and exporting our gas are paying little to nothing for it. No royalties. No meaningful resource tax. Just billions in profit, taken from Australian resources and shipped offshore.
Western Australia is the only state with a domestic gas reservation, which reserves 15% of LNG production for local use. That policy has worked for households and businesses in WA – with gas prices roughly 50% below east coast levels. WA businesses pay significantly less for the same energy.
The modelling shows that a 25% gas export levy and domestic reserve would directly put downward pressure on gas and electricity prices for Australian businesses. The revenue generated would also present an opportunity to reinvest in Australian businesses - in energy efficiency programs, solar, batteries, and practical support to help smaller businesses cut their costs for good.
Future Group is backing an open letter for our politicians that calls on the Government to:
Introduce a 25% gas export levy – and make international companies pay properly for extracting our national resource
Establish a domestic gas reserve – so Australian businesses get first access to Australian gas at a fair price
Reinvest some of the revenue into Australian businesses – energy efficiency grants, solar, batteries, and real support to reduce our energy costs long-term
We’re asking businesses to throw their support behind a fairer deal on gas exports.
