Independent ACT senator David Pocock has slammed the Albanese government over its proposed gas tax changes to boost revenue from the resources sector, accusing it of "just doing some tiny tinkering at the edges".
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The government plans to change the contentious petroleum resource rent tax, capping at 90 per cent the income oil and gas producers can offset from liquefied natural gas projects. It's expected to net the government another $2.4 billion from profitable producers over the next four years.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the extra money would help fund the government's $14.6 billion cost-of-living package.
LNG earnings are expected to reach $91 billion in 2022-23.
Speaking to journalists in Perth on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on the Coalition to support the changes, which need to be legislated. He also criticised the Greens for what he called an anti-industry position.
The Liberal Party and Nationals have yet to announce their positions, even though the proposal adopts several recommendations from the former Coalition government-commissioned Callaghan review.
Nationals Leader David Littleproud told The Canberra Times party members would meet on Monday to determine a position.
"If it sticks to the principles [of the Callaghan review] and there is no devil in that detail then obviously we want to be constructive about making sure that the industry, who is supporting this, has got it right and that it protects investment confidence in the future," he said.
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The government will have to rely on the Greens if the opposition does not support it.
But independent MPs and senators have railed against the plan, calling for the government to get tougher on gas producers so Australians can benefit from their resources.
Senator Pocock told ABC radio there were no royalties on offshore gas.
"It's disappointing to see the Treasurer not willing to ... make changes, that will ensure that we benefit," he said,.
"He seems to have ... some scars or some PTSD from the mining tax fights back in the day ... I think things have changed. Australians realise that we should be benefiting more from our own resources.
"We are not getting our fair share from our own resources, our gas that these gas companies are then selling back to us at international prices."
Independent MP Sophie Scamps said although the proposed change was "a positive step", it didn't go far enough.
"The fact that the changes have been so enthusiastically welcomed by oil and gas lobby group APPEA is a red flag," she said.
"Multinational resource companies are making super profits out of resources that belong to all Australians."
Fellow independent MP Monique Ryan accused the government of favouring "gas companies making record profits over Australians battling a cost-of-living crisis".
She said the government's pitch "leaves Australia a global laggard when it comes to taxing its domestic gas industry".
In Canberra, Greens Leader Adam Bandt said the party would push for changes to the current proposal.
Greens senator Nick McKim said the government's proposed changes were "designed by the gas cabal".
"I mean, seriously? The planet is literally cooking around us, you have got [petroleum resource rent tax] changes, where to describe them as the barest minimum would be significantly overstating what they achieve," he said.
A Greens proposal earlier costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office found the government could bring in around $94 billion over the next decade if it introduced other changes, including forcing corporations to pay royalties on gas extracted.
Mr Albanese accused the Greens of wanting to shut down the industry.
"The gas industry is an important industry for Australia, for our national interest. And that's why we worked with APPEA and with individual companies as well on this modest change, which provides for a bring forward of taxation revenue, which would have been in later years," he said.
"How extraordinary is that you have the gas companies and the peak organisation out there saying they can live with this change, acknowledging the work that the government did to work these issues through, and the Coalition saying, 'Yeah nah, nah'."