Over half of Australia’s gas exports are given away, without payment of royalties or Petroleum Resource Rent Tax. Over the last four years, multinational companies made $170 billion exporting gas they got for free. Based on Federal Government forecasts, to 2030 another $170 billion of liquified natural gas will be exported based on free gas.

In 2024–25, Australian governments provided $14.9 billion worth of spending and tax breaks to assist fossil fuel producers and major users, a 3% increase on 2023–24. Subsidies in the forward estimates have increased from $65 billion to a record $67 billion, a sum 14.2 times larger than the nation’s $4.75 billion disaster response fund.

The annual release of AEMO’s Gas Statement of Opportunities invariably triggers coverage suggesting that Australia, one of the world’s biggest gas producers, is about to run short of gas.

Coal royalties are a tiny part of NSW Government revenue. Over the last decade, they have averaged only 2.4% of NSW Government revenue. Coal royalties do little to fund regional communities, schools, hospitals, teachers, and nurses.

The organisations charged with overseeing regional transition away from coal mining in NSW have a budget of $5.2 million across four organisations. By contrast, $27 million of public money was spent in 2022-23 by Coal Innovation NSW conducting and promoting research that greenwashes the coal industry, while a publicly subsidised coal industry research fund worth

Wholesale gas and electricity prices have tripled in Western Australia since 2020, when the WA government first permitted exports of domestic gas, linking the domestic and international markets. Approval for the Woodside’s proposed North West Shelf Extension will lock in this link for the long term, leading to increased costs for West Australian households and

The Australia Institute’s annual Climate of the Nation report provides an insight into Australians’ understanding of, and attitudes towards, climate change and Australia’s current and proposed climate policies. Climate of the Nation 2024 shows that Australians are not only concerned about the climate crisis, they feel negative about the future in the context of climate

If Western Australia was a country, it would be the world’s third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Yet, despite the huge amounts of gas produced in WA annually, recent media reports claim the state is heading for a gas shortage. How can WA be running short of gas when it is a globally

Australia has long-running challenges in relation to liquid fuel security and transport emissions. In response to the “energy security emergency” arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Energy Agency published a 10-point plan to improve fuel security by cutting oil use by 6% within four months. Two years later, Australian governments have implemented none of the IEA’s recommendations.

The Future Gas Strategy, published in May 2024, sets out the Albanese Government’s plan for gas production and consumption in Australia between now and 2050.

The Australian Government claims that green hydrogen is part of its vision for becoming a renewable energy ‘superpower’, but budget documents show this is not the case. Current industrial hydrogen use in Australia is 500,000 tonnes per year. The Commonwealth Government is budgeting for green hydrogen production of around 500,000 tonnes per year into the

War in Ukraine has seen oil and gas export revenue out of Australia increase from $40 billion in 2020-21 to $107 billion in 2022-23. Lobby group forecasts of $17 billion in 2023-24 payments to government should be considered in this context.

According to the Australian Government’s Future Gas Strategy, gas is “critical” to the nation’s economy.

Royalty revenue from WA gas exports has halved in the past two years and now makes up just 1.5% of budget revenue.

Australia’s subsidies to fossil fuel producers and major users from all governments totalled $14.5 billion in 2023–24, increase of 31% on the $11.1 billion recorded in 2022–23.

The Fuel Tax Credits Scheme costs the Federal Budget nearly $10 billion per year and largely benefits iron ore and coal miners.

Even though Australia needs to transition to a net zero emissions economy as a matter of urgency, the tax system continues to encourage fossil fuel investment.

WA is a globally significant gas exporter, but gas is insignificant in the WA economy.

Submission to Senate Standing Committees on Economics inquiry into the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Accountability and Fairness) Bill 2023 [Provisions].

Offshore gas must not bypass genuine consultation with traditional owners or the wider community. Adequate consultation will always challenge the crumbling social license of fossil fuel operations – perhaps that is why there are proposals to “clarify and improve” consultation and approvals?

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,017 Australians about a proposed levy on fossil fuel exports. 508 respondents were asked whether they would support a levy of $1 per tonne of emissions (raising around $1.5 billion per year) and 509 whether they would support a levy of $20 per tonne (raising around

Gas development has few economic benefits beyond those that flow to the gas industry itself. The industry is a small employer, systematic non-payer of tax and crowds out other industries.

Avoiding the worst impacts of climate change demands urgent action. This urgency ought to be driven by fulsome and transparent information. Current economic modelling by the CCA could be an important contribution to this task, if done properly and shared with all.

The Australia Institute’s annual Climate of the Nation report provides a comprehensive account of Australian attitudes towards climate change, its causes and impacts, and the integrity of Australia’s current and proposed climate solutions.

The NT LNG facility aims to produce up 20 million tonnes of LNG per year for export using gas fracked from the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin.

In 2022–23, Australian Federal and state governments provided a total of $11.1 billion worth of spending and tax breaks to assist fossil fuel industries.

The transition towards a low-carbon future is a pressing issue, and household electrification has emerged as a critical component of Australia’s ongoing shift in energy use. In response, The Australia Institute commissioned a research report to better understand current public sentiment towards home and vehicle electrification via new community research. This report provides a snapshot

If NSW had adopted Queensland’s progressive coal royalty system in 2021-22 it would have raised an additional $2.8 billion. For 2022-23 this figure is estimated at between $4.2 billion and $6.2 billion.

Polling across 5 federal electorates reveals a majority of voters support a ban on new gas and coal projects, and very few support unlimited carbon offsets to expand fossil fuels. uComms were commissioned on behalf of the Australia Institute to poll in the seats of Mackellar, Goldstein, Sydney, Bennelong and Moreton between 9-14 of March

There are 116 new fossil fuel projects on the Federal Government’s annual Resource & Energy Major Project list, two more than at the end of 2021. If all proceed as estimated, they will add 4.8 billion tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere by 2030.