On Wednesday, Greens Leader Adam Bandt and Greens spokesperson for Mining and Resources Senator Dorinda Cox will be in Karratha, WA to launch the final component of the Greens’ Tycoon Tax, which will end tax breaks for corporations undertaking offshore gas extraction in Commonwealth waters and oblige them to pay royalties on the natural resources that rightfully belong to the people of Australia.

The Greens will push the new tax in balance of power in the Senate after the next election.

Amidst devastating floods over east and growing calls for climate action, the Greens are urging Perth Festival, WA Youth Orchestra, and WA Symphony Orchestra to end their sponsorships with Woodside and Chevron and for the WA State Government to provide supplementary funding while new sponsors are secured. 

The failure of Chevron’s Gorgon carbon capture and storage project is a symbol of the total failure of the CCS industry, the Greens have said today, calling for the federal money wasted on the project to be returned.

New reporting shows the project was years behind schedule, over budget, and rapidly slowing down carbon storage rates as the $180bn corporation struggles to figure out how to inject millions of tonnes of gas below the ground.

Chevron’s decision to withdraw plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight is a big win for the coastal communities, tourism and fishing industries, who have fought hard to protect this pristine environment, The Australian Greens say.

Chevron has proven it cannot be trusted with the pristine environment of the Great Australian Bight if they refuse to play by Australia’s tax rules, Australian Greens Senator for South Australia and finance spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said today.

“Chevron has fought for almost 15 years against paying its fair share of tax to Australians, after being given a leg up by the Australian government. The loan to Chevron not only ripped off Australian taxpayers for years, but the money ended up offshore providing no benefit to Australia,” Senator Hanson-Young said.