Senate Inquiry Highlights, The Gas Lobby Gets Smoked & The Media Takes the Bait + Gas Lobby So PANICKING They're Making Attack Ads About Me + Sky News Tried to Smear Me. It Backfired
Senate Inquiry Highlights, The Gas Lobby Gets Smoked & The Media Takes the Bait
THE SCAM: Japan taxes our gas more than we do. Shell admitted to a Senate inquiry they paid $0 in PRRT for a decade. Meanwhile, Japan’s government owns up to 30% of our projects. We hold all the cards and still lose.
THE DAMAGE: Regular punters are getting rinsed. Teachers pay more income tax than Shell paid in PRRT for ten years. We’re missing out on $17 billion a year that could fund Medicare or a sovereign wealth fund. Instead, politicians say we’re broke while giving away free gas.
THE OUTCOME: The gas lobby is spinning hard. Sky News called a Konrad a “grifter”. Tim Wilson argued we should tax them less. Shell execs couldn’t say how much gas they sold – but knew every expense. The government is downplaying a new tax, but even News Corp ran two stories backing reform.
News Corp - Australia ‘sold out’ as nation forgoes billions in gas export tax revenue
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Gas Lobby So PANICKING They're Making Attack Ads About Me
THE SCAM: The gas lobby dropped attack ads claiming tax gas not beer is a lie. They say gas companies paid 21.9 billion dollars in tax. But they have lumped everything together including company tax royalties and fees. The actual PRRT which is the windfall profits levy was just 1.4 billion dollars. Beer excise alone was 2.7 billion dollars. They are counting your beer money twice.
THE DAMAGE: Some gas cartels pay zero PRRT for years. Wages haven't budged as profits skyrocketed. The lobby's "$100 billion to the economy" line is made up – it just means some rich punter bought a BMW. Meanwhile, teachers, nurses and anyone drinking a beer pay more towards schools than these foreign bludgers.
THE COVER-UP/OUTCOME: They're so rattled they've resorted to attack ads featuring a bloke in a t-shirt (looks familiar). The comments aren't buying it: "Nice try." "Show your profit margins." Their own ads got 1,000 views. They admit they'd "rather not run this" – translation: they're panicking.
Punter Citations:
The Guardian - Gas companies spending millions on Australian advertising blitz to fight export tax, inquiry told
Sky News Tried to Smear Me. It Backfired
THE SCAM: Sky News host Laura called a punter Konrad grifter and a con artist for giving evidence at a Senate inquiry. She demanded to know his qualifications and expertise and claimed he was a paid influencer for the Teals and the Greens. But the attack backfired.
The same host later admitted she is pro gas companies paying more tax.
THE DAMAGE: The segment exposed who the corporate media really works for. Sky News is an American owned company that has paid zero tax on 2.2 billion dollars of annual income. While a teacher with a master's degree gets called a grifter for asking politicians to do their job. Liberal MP Tim Wilson argued gas companies should actually be taxed less.
THE OUTCOME: The host was visibly rattled that a regular Aussie got access to her politicians. Pocock defended the punter saying everyday voices matter in Senate inquiries. The comments section turned on Sky News. Even Barnaby Joyce admitted the gas industry needs to design something that works. The smear made the lobby looked desperate.
