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Allegra Spender says 25% gas export tax would help fix ‘faulty’ system

Independent MP Allegra Spender said a 25% tax on gas exports would help rectify what she sees as “faulty” taxation arrangements that have seen an Australian resource sent overseas with minimal benefit to the country.

The gas industry is a very profitable industry and pays income tax. And every company in Australia, frankly, should pay income tax on its profits and should pay the proper rate. But the gas companies are different because they also sell an Australian resource which they extract, which we can’t get back once it is sold.

I think Australians rightly believe they should share more of that revenue.

We’re back here again and they should fix it.

We are lucky to be an energy exporter at a time where the world needs energy. We are a great partner in this. But it is a reasonable thing for Australians to get a fair return on that. And, at the moment, we just aren’t.

We can’t and I think we need to be really honest about that. If there’s going to be changes to the NDIS – and I’m not a state leader who’s knocking the federal government’s right and probably responsibility to reform the NDIS, it’s cost too much money – but we have to be really frank with people.

We can’t offer at the state level the kinds of services that are being rolled out at the NDIS.