Labor backbencher Ed Husic has called for stronger action to prevent foreign countries that buy Australian gas from onselling it to other countries and for Australia to "assert ourselves", a position that is at odds with the resources minister.

The former minister told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing that Australia was paying "extraordinary prices for an Australian resource", partly blaming "a lot of foreign multinationals that are on a great deal" who onsell gas to other countries rather than using it domestically.

He said a "use it or lose it" mechanism should be introduced, including for existing contracts between gas producers and foreign countries.

"Japan has done this four consecutive years in a row where they have onsold Australian gas while telling us we should not have a right to

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