Tea Gardens residents show support for gas exports petition

A NATIONAL Day of Action was held on Saturday 19 September in support of Australian communities receiving a fair share of the value of gas exports.

Groups all around Australia participated and Lyne Together, a local community group, set up a street stall outside Coles at Tea Gardens seeking signatures on a petition.

“Offshore gas is the only mineral extracted from Australian territory which does not pay any effective royalties, and the companies that export this gas make billions from the gas they get from the Australian people for free,” said Lyne Together spokesperson Andrew Dickinson.

There is growing nationwide support for an increased tax on Australia’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports and a campaign, with ACT Senator David Pocock as a spokesman , is asking for a tax of 25 per cent, Mr Dickinson said.

“Modelling by the Australia Institute suggests this should raise extra federal revenue of 17 billion dollars,” he said.

“This works out at about 50 million dollars per day, and we all have suggestions for how that money could be spent on local roads, housing, health and education.”

The petition stated: “We call on the Australian Government to give Australians a fair go from our gas exports – a tax that ensures Australians get a proper return on resources that belong to all of us.”

“The number of signatories – around 200 – exceeded  expectations and two batches of extra forms had to be printed on the spot,” Mr Dickinson said.

“Thank you to the Tea Gardens Post Office.”

The petition will be added to all those signed around Australia, and presented to the Australian Parliament by David Pocock in November.

For those who missed the day of action and would like to add their support, the petition is still open. There is a QR code on Lyne Together’s posters around the area and this can also be accessed electronically through the Lyne Together or Senator David Pocock’s websites.