One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has unveiled her party’s gas policy, rejecting calls for a 25 per cent export tax in favour of an alternative levy and the creation of a sovereign wealth fund.
Revealing the plan in Adelaide on Thursday, Hanson said ordinary Australians were missing out on the benefits of the country’s resource wealth.
‘Despite our enormous resource wealth, ordinary families are not seeing the benefits in affordable energy, reduced debt and services,’ she said.
She argued governments had failed to secure a fair return from the sector, fuelling growing public frustration.
‘Public unrest is building because successive governments have failed to secure a fair share, while pursuing policies that risk killing the industry that generates that wealth,’ Hanson said.
Hanson stressed the importance of private sector involvement in the industry.
‘Gas production is only possible with the expertise of private industry,’ she said.
She framed the policy as a pathway to boost supply and strengthen the economy.
Hanson (pictured) said a 25 per cent gas tax was being pushed to destroy the gas industry
‘We want more gas, more oil, and more energy to drive our economy forward, pay down our debts and secure our energy future,’ Hanson said.
The policy centres on what One Nation calls a ‘partnership model,’ including a 30 per cent rebate on oil and gas exploration in Commonwealth waters to encourage new development and increase supply.
It also allows the Commonwealth to take up to a 30 per cent equity stake in production licences, covering an equivalent share of project costs and future decommissioning liabilities.
Under the proposal, the government would channel its stake through a new entity, the Australian Natural Wealth Investment Corporation (ANWIC), which would direct production toward domestic priorities such as fertiliser manufacturing, energy generation and fuel refining.
Profits would flow into a sovereign wealth fund modelled on Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global.
Hanson used the announcement to directly attack proposals from crossbench and Greens figures.
The Australian Institute, a major driver of calls for the 25 per cent tax, claim it would raise $17billion each year to fund essential services.
‘Senator David Pocock and the Greens, along with lobby groups like the Australian Institute, are calling for an industry-destroying 25 per cent tax on exports,’ she said.
The government would take a 30 per cent stake in private gas projects in Australian waters
‘They have drawn a false equivalence to countries like Norway… a model that has succeeded because government and industry work together.’
‘These activists simply want to destroy our gas industry and push their green agenda.’
One Nation argues the proposed export tax would deter investment and reduce domestic supply.
Hanson has also ruled out supporting Labor’s 20 per cent gas reservation policy, warning it imposes rigid requirements that risk undermining project viability.
Instead, she said the partnership model would keep more value onshore while maintaining incentives for investment.
The policy would also replace the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) with a Commonwealth royalty on wellhead value, which the party says would simplify the tax system and deliver more predictable revenue.
The announcement comes amid intensifying debate over how to balance export earnings with domestic energy security.
Crossbench support for a 25 per cent export levy has grown, while Labor continues to push its reservation policy as a key measure to boost local supply.
The Coalition has also backed expanded oil and gas exploration, citing the fuel crisis triggered by the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States in the Middle East.
