Politics · Australia · 1 hr ago
Greens propose tax cuts and higher welfare payments funded by resource taxes
Greens leader David Shoebridge is proposing tax cuts and higher welfare payments in Australia.
The plan would raise the tax-free income threshold from $18,200 to $26,000, giving taxpayers up to $1,092 a year.
Income support payments would also rise by the same amount, including JobSeeker, the Age Pension and carer and student payments.
The Greens say higher taxes on gas exports and mining would help pay for the changes.
The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates the package would cost $22 billion a year, and it has raised questions about how the resource taxes would work.
The Greens’ proposed gas export tax has not been costed by the office, while details of the mining tax are still to be settled.
Shoebridge is set to present the policy at the National Press Club on Wednesday, as the party seeks to shift attention to economic issues.
The Greens have proposed raising Australia’s tax-free income threshold and increasing welfare payments, with the package costing about $22 billion a year.
The plan would raise the threshold from $18,200 to $26,000 and provide a tax cut of up to $1,092 a year.
Greens leader David Shoebridge says new taxes on gas and mining companies would fund the measures.
The Parliamentary Budget Office’s costing, reported by the SMH, puts the package at $65.1 billion over four years and says it would add $57.7 billion to government interest costs by the mid-2030s.
The ABC reports that key details of the proposed resource taxes are not settled and that the gas export tax has not been costed by the PBO.
- Who
- The Australian Greens, led by David Shoebridge, are proposing the package.
- What
- The party proposes raising the tax-free threshold and welfare payments, funded by new resource taxes.
- When
- Shoebridge is due to present the policy on Wednesday. The articles were published on October 27, 2026.
- Where
- Australia; Shoebridge will address the National Press Club.
- Why
- The Greens say the policy would reduce inequality and the cost-of-living burden by sharing revenue from gas and mining with the public.
The Australian Greens
The federal government
Resource taxes
The Australian Greens
The Greens propose a 25 per cent gas export tax and higher taxes on mining companies to fund tax cuts and welfare increases.
The federal government
The federal government has rejected the proposed gas export tax.
David Shoebridge became Greens leader.
The ABC and the SMH published reports on the Greens’ proposed tax and welfare package.
Shoebridge is due to present the policy at the National Press Club.
- Tax-free threshold
- Proposed increase from $18,200 to $26,000
- Tax cut
- Up to $1,092 a year, or $21 a week, according to the ABC
- Welfare increase
- The same amount would be added to income support payments
- Annual package cost
- About $22 billion
- Gas export tax
- Proposed rate of 25 per cent; the Greens say it could raise $17 billion a year
- Resource tax revenue
- The Greens cite a potential $28 billion a year from a mining tax; the ABC says the calculation reflects possible state royalties and details of a federal tax are unsettled
3 sources
What people are saying
No matter who you are, whether you're working, studying, looking for work or on a pension, you'll get more,
Putting $1000 in people’s pockets only adds to inflation if we don’t also do something about corporate profiteering. So we’ll take the heat out of the economy by trimming those corporate profits and sharing them with everyone,
We’ll tackle the cost of living by ending this raw deal on our resources and handing the money back to the people who need it. This is how government is meant to work.