Power of Siberia 2 plugs into Aussie gas chaos

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So, the Teals are going to form a political party. Hopefully, they will prioritise gas. From Gas Cartel HQ.

To many major-party politicians (not to mention the gas industry and those who rely on it), this type of policy is anathema: a knee-jerk, populist reaction to the rhythms of an orderly investment cycle that will, if left alone, yield greater revenues down the track. But to the independents and social media types pushing it, a gas tax is precisely the solution to a social welfare state that both overtaxes and under-delivers, that is beholden to monied interests and ignorant of the groundswell of public opinion.

The government has, for now, ruled it out. Some believe it will fold. Certainly, it seemed open to the idea, as evidenced by the way it was given oxygen by Labor Party proxies and fellow travellers. Even so, it isn’t always easy to control or hold off the populist tide once unleashed. When a war in Iran made the gas tax unviable, Anthony Albanese was left exposed – in the path of the movement his side of politics helped foment.

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About the author
David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific's leading geo-politics and economics portal. He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.
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