An Australian tax story
Over the last decade, Australia's school teachers paid $95 billion in income tax — more than twice the $45 billion paid by the entire oil and gas industry. On a fraction of the revenue. Scroll to watch the numbers accumulate.
Two taxpayers. One decade.
Australia's school teachers
~320,000 educators
Average salary around $100,000. Combined wages of roughly $32 billion per year. They paid $95 billion in income tax over the decade — every dollar, automatically deducted.
The oil & gas industry
$50+ billion/yr revenue
Revenue roughly double the teachers' combined wages. Yet the ATO has labelled it home to "systemic non-payers" of tax. Over the decade, the entire industry paid less than half what teachers paid.
The final score
Teachers paid at an effective rate of ~30%. The oil and gas industry paid at ~8% — and almost all of that came in the last two years, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices soaring. Before that windfall, the industry's decade average was closer to 3%.
Source: Australia Institute analysis of ATO data, 2024–2025
But wait — it gets worse
The Petroleum Resource Rent Tax was designed to ensure Australians benefit from their own resources. It raises about $1.5 billion per year. Here's what beats it.
The $0 club — companies that paid nothing
| Company | Revenue | Company Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Santos Limited 10 years to 2023–24 | ~$47B | $0 |
| Ichthys LNG (Inpex) 6 years to 2023–24 | ~$43B | $0 |
| QLD CSG Exporters Since exports began, 2015 | $36B | $0 |
| Arrow Energy (Shell/PetroChina) Since ATO reporting began | Billions | $0 |
| Australia Pacific LNG Origin/ConocoPhillips/Sinopec | Billions | $0 |
56% of Australia's gas exports attract zero royalty payments. The gas is extracted for free.
How other countries do it
Major fossil fuel exporters typically share 75–90% of petroleum profits with their citizens. Australia shares just 18%. Qatar produces only 50% more oil and gas than Australia but collects six times more government revenue from it.
Norway
78%
of petroleum profits shared with citizens
Australia
18%
of petroleum profits shared with citizens
Source: Superpower Institute; Australia Institute, 2024. Cashflow basis.
2×
Teachers paid double what oil & gas paid over 10 years
56%
Of exported gas attracts zero royalty payments
18%
Australia's share of petroleum profits vs Norway's 78%
Every year, multinational corporations extract billions of dollars of gas from Australian soil and seabed. Most of it is exported. Most of the profits leave the country. And for a decade, many of the biggest players paid nothing at all in company tax — while every nurse, teacher, and retail worker in Australia paid theirs without fail.