Make Big Polluters Pay: Majority of Australians think coal, oil and gas corporations should pay for damage caused by their climate pollution
Make Big Polluters Pay Alliance
75% of Australians believe that climate change is increasing the cost of living, as new alliance calls on Government to take action ahead of Economic Reform Roundtable
New polling has uncovered that the majority of Australians (62%) agree that coal, oil and gas corporations should pay for the damage caused by their climate pollution, including contributing to the costs of climate disasters.
Commissioned by newly formed alliance, Make Big Polluters Pay, ahead of the Government’s Economic Roundtable this week, the polling shows that there is general agreement (75%) that climate change and extreme weather is contributing to cost-of-living pressures.
The polling also found:
- 83% believe that everyone is paying the price of climate change through increasing insurance premiums and increasing food prices.
- 82% believe that fossil fuel companies are exporting most of the coal, oil and gas they produce overseas, meanwhile the cost of energy domestically is very high.
- 70% agree that the government should get coal, oil and gas corporations to take more responsibility when it comes to climate pollution and damages they cause.
Coal, oil and gas corporations, who are responsible for three quarters of Australia’s climate pollution, take billions in government handouts, and they often pay less tax in Australia than most Australians such as nurses, despite $370 billion in revenue in 2024-25. They make mega profits, sending most overseas, and they don’t contribute to the costs of dealing with climate change and their climate pollution.
Driven by a powerful coalition of climate impacted communities, development, faith, climate, youth, First Nations and Pacific organisations, including Oxfam Australia, Greenpeace Australia, ActionAid Australia, Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action, Pacific Islands Council of Queensland, and others, Make Big Polluters Pay, launching publicly today, unifies a broad cross section of society, raising the voices of frontline communities in Australia and the Pacific. The alliance highlights how the fossil fuel industry is putting the costs of climate change onto communities and not paying their fair share, which is also harming our budget sustainability, productivity and economic resilience.
Ahead of the roundtable, Make Big Polluters Pay offers a pathway to reconfigure Australia's economy and tax system so that those most responsible for climate change pay the price, not ordinary Australians.
The Australian Government should:
- Put in place a Climate Pollution Levy on coal, gas and oil corporations, which could raise $46 billion a year, ensuring they pay their fair share towards climate action
- Establish a Climate Compensation Fund to meet the needs of communities on the frontline of climate impacts, and support everyday households facing rising costs from climate change and the clean energy transition.
Make Polluters Pay Australia Campaign Strategic Lead, Julie-Anne Richards, said:
“Australia’s coal, oil and gas corporations are making around $370 billion in revenue per year, but often pay little or no tax. They are pushing the costs of the climate pollution they produce and the climate change it creates onto communities. Everyday Australians are paying through higher insurance, food and other bill costs, as well as the costs of recovery from climate disasters. It’s time these big corporations pay their fair share.”
Oxfam Australia Interim Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Chrisanta Muli, said:
"It's not fair that communities impacted by climate disasters, and everyday households are paying the price for climate change, while big corporations making huge profits pay nothing. Coal, oil and gas corporations, who produce three quarters of Australia's climate pollution, should be contributing to paying for the costs of their climate pollution to households and impacted communities here in Australia and in our Pacific region."
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action CEO, Serena Joyner, said:
“Australians are tough and our communities have had to be resilient in the face of repeated fires, floods and storms. But it's not fair that we are bearing the costs of escalating disasters caused by the pollution from big coal, oil and gas corporations. It's time they stepped up and paid their fair share to clean up their mess."
Greenpeace Australia Pacific Chief Executive Officer David Ritter said:
“For too long, fossil fuel polluters have harmed our climate, environment, and communities in their pursuit of profit. They have spread misinformation to slow emissions reduction efforts, dodged their fair share of taxes, and used their money to lobby governments and launder their reputations. The era of impunity for fossil fuel corporations must end; it is time to make big polluters pay.”
Stella Miria Robinson, Pacific Islands Council of Queensland Elder said:
“Australia needs to accept its responsibilities in our neighbourhood of the Pacific Ocean by fairly compensating its island neighbours for the damage Australia businesses are causing, pushing us to extinction. As stated by others Australian industries have made huge financial gains in the name of “smart” business so they should extend that “smartness” to saving the planet & its vulnerable Peoples impacted by the unpredictability & threats of climate change.”
Michelle Higelin, Executive Director of women’s rights NGO ActionAid Australia, said:
“This is a deeply unfair situation where Australia’s big coal, oil and gas companies are making massive profits, at everyone else’s expense. For the women we work with across the Pacific and beyond, the climate crisis is pushing them into a relentless cycle of losing their income, damaging their homes, and constantly having to rebuild their lives. It’s not fair that they’re being forced to pay for damage they did not cause, and that’s why we want to see big polluters pay their fair share.”
For interviews contact Lucy Brown [email protected] / 0478 190 099
Make Big Polluters Pay alliance members include:
Climate Action Network Australia, Climate Justice Coalition, Oxfam Australia, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, ActionAid Australia, Indigenous Peoples Organisation Australia, Think Forward, Uniting Church in Australia Victoria and Tasmania Synod, Tax Justice Network Australia, Jubilee Australia, 350 Australia, Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action, Pacific Islands Council of Queensland, GetUp!, Oxfam in the Pacific, Pacific Conference of Churches, Seed Mob, Loss & Damage Pacific Network, Pacific Youth Network, Plan International Australia, Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research, Beyond Gas Network, Cairns and Far North Environment Centre, Conservation Council of Western Australia, Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Queensland Conservation Council, Environment Victoria, Friends of the Earth Australia, Human Rights Law Centre, Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland, Lighter Footprints, Nillumbik Climate Action Team, Peoples Climate Assembly, Publish What You Pay, Rising Tide, SJ Around the Bay, Women's Environmental Leadership Australia, Grata Fund, Yarra Climate Action Now!, Citizens Climate Lobby Australia.
Notes to editor
Polling was commissioned by Essential Media and conducted between 13th June – 19th June 2025 with a nationally representative sample of n=2029 Australian residents aged 18+. Quotas were applied to be representative of the target population by gender, age and location. RIM weighting was applied to the data using information sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The percentage of coal, oil and gas companies is based on the latest National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quarterly Update at time of writing.