Final answer:
Austin's gas tank can hold approximately 15.43 gallons.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how many gallons Austin's tank can hold, we can set up a proportion using the given information. If 12 gallons fills 7/9 of the tank, then let's assume x represents the number of gallons the tank can hold. The proportion would look like this: 
 
12 / x = 7/9
 
To solve for x, we can cross-multiply and solve the resulting equation:
 
12 * 9 = 7 * x
 
108 = 7 * x
 
Divide both sides of the equation by 7 to isolate x:
 
x = 108 / 7
 
x ≈ 15.43
 
Therefore, Austin's gas tank can hold approximately 15.43 gallons.