Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Australians do not have a gas shortage problem; we have a government that refuses to put Australians first. New reporting has revealed just how deeply corporate Japan is embedded in Australia's gas export machine. Ministers have met with Japanese LNG executives more than 20 times in a single term while households here are left paying the price. This is what selling out Australians looks like—Australian resources, higher emissions and Australian families carrying the costs while profits are booked offshore. Every week I hear from families choosing which costs to delay from small businesses trying to absorb yet more cost rises. They can't win in a market that has been deliberately distorted by exports.

Australians are told to be patient and to accept rebates and bandaids. Yet Australian gas continues to be shipped out under long-term deals that don't prioritise Australians, and this government keeps waving it through. InfluenceMap has found that Japanese companies hold more than $70 billion in equity across Australian LNG developments—projects linked to around 290 million tonnes of CO2 per year, roughly two-thirds of Australia's annual climate pollution. While we're told that this is all about Japan's energy security, the reality is quite the opposite. A significant share of Australian LNG bought by Japanese firms is on sold to third countries, reportedly generating more than US$1 billion in profit in 2024. Australians pay higher bills. Multinationals cash in, and the tax system barely touches them. Australians paid more than four times more in tax through HECS-HELP repayments than gas companies paid through the PRRT. Low-income households are hit hardest, spending around five times more of their income on energy than high-income earners.

I say to all the members of government: look to what you are doing with the gas exports. If the government is serious, it must stop acting as a concierge for the gas industry and start acting in the national interest. Lock in genuine domestic gas reservation and transparent contracting. Enforce rigorous methane measurements and regulation—no more voluntary rules. Deliver a credible, managed phase-down of gas, consistent with keeping climate change in check and commitments to net zero. Australians deserve an energy system that is affordable, accountable and aligned with climate science, not one designed to boost foreign profits. Let's be clear. Gas is not green, and it is not in the best interests of Australians to keep prioritising Japanese exports.

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