Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on The Australia Institute to be “fair dinkum” about its calls for a 25% gas tax.

Today, The Australia Institute has taken out full-page advertisements in newspapers around the country to remind the Prime Minister that there’s nothing more fair dinkum than getting a fair price for Australian gas to pay for essential services like hospitals, schools, public housing and supporting Australians living with disabilities.

The advertisements remind readers that Australian nurses pay more tax than the gas industry pays.

They also remind Australians that a flat 25% gas export tax would raise more than $17 billion a year for a budget which is forecast to remain in deficit every year to 2029-30.

“I can assure the Prime Minister that The Australia Institute is fair dinkum in our calls for Australians to get a fair return for our gas,” said Dr Richard Denniss, co-CEO of The Australia Institute.

“Mr Albanese’s government chooses to give gas away for free to the gas export companies, gas that could be taxed and raise more than $17 billion per year.“

The Prime Minister is trying to downplay the importance of a gas export tax by calling it a ‘social media campaign’.

“Leaving aside the fact that many ordinary Australians express themselves through social media, what is most surprising about Mr Albanese’s comments is that he seems to be unaware that calls for an export tax came first from the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).

“In addition to the ACTU, support for improving the taxation of gas comes from people as diverse as the Greens, David Pocock, Clive Palmer and Pauline Hanson.

“It is clear that a large and growing number of back bench and cross bench MPs are fair dinkum about taxing gas exports.

“Likewise, polling has shown that millions of ordinary Australians are fair dinkum about taxing gas. They’ve had enough of being constantly told to tighten their belts while multinational gas giants get a free ride.

“Fixing big problems doesn’t have to be complicated. Mr Albanese could tax gas exports and spend the money raised on repairing our schools, hospitals and roads, building public housing or supporting older Australians and those living with disabilities.

“Taxing gas exports is a no-brainer. It would raise more than $17 billion per year, divert gas away from export markets and to Australians, which would lower the price of gas here.   “The only obstacle to this simple solution is finding the bravery to stand up to the gas giants.”