STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Dr HAINES (Indi) (16:00): The Australian people want the government to put its foot on the gas and deliver a fair return from our gas exports. In the past five years, Australia has shipped enough gas overseas to cover our own needs for more than 20 years. Here's the kicker: at the same time, households and businesses on the east coast have seen household gas prices triple, breaking household budgets.

Did you know that the gas industry uses 13 times more gas to prepare it for export than Australia's entire manufacturing industry needs each year? That's outrageous! It's boosting the profits of big business and billionaires while short-changing Australians on a national resource that we own.

We know that rooftop solar combined with a home battery is the best way to bring down home energy bills, and thousands are making the shift. But, while this happens, many households still rely on gas for their heating, cooking and hot water. A 25 per cent tax on gas exports could return $17 billion a year to the budget.

Imagine what this money could deliver for rural health care, for regional hospitals and for roads. Just one year of this revenue could install solar and home batteries on 1.3 million homes. It's time to end the cheap deal for gas giants and make sure our sovereign resources deliver for Australia.