Australia’s 2026 Energy Paradox: The Unseen Cost of LNG The 2026 Middle East crisis has handed Australia a massive fossil-fuel jackpot . However, the wealth is sharply divided. While resource-rich states like Queensland reap record export profits , the rest of the nation is footing the bill through surging domestic power costs and inflation . Trapped between fierce political debates over a "windfall tax" and the looming threat of "stranded assets" , Australia must decide: is this two-speed export boom a golden ticket, or a dangerous economic trap?