What we learned, Thursday 26 March
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the day’s big headlines.
Australia condemned Iran’s indiscriminate attacks on Gulf states and Jordan, joining with many other like-minded nations at an urgent debate at the United Nations.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle intensified, threatening Western Australia’s Kimberley coast after wreaking havoc across northern Queensland and the Northern Territory since last week.
Fuel was the big political topic again today. The shadow defence minister, James Paterson, said the government has the power to trigger the Liquid Fuel Security Act, which would allow the government to require fuel suppliers and companies to provide more detailed information on exactly where fuel is going and where there are shortages. In NSW, Chris Minns, said his government will use “extraordinary powers” against fuel companies if they are unlawfully blocking independent retailers from purchasing fuel.
And Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie said he is open to a new 25% tax on soaring gas profits as part of a Scandinavian-style sovereign wealth fund to strengthen the federal budget amid the global energy crisis.
The Reserve Bank’s assistant governor, Chris Kent, said soaring fuel prices will “make us all poorer”, but that the central bank was focused on making sure the initial energy shock did not lead to “extended inflationary pressures”.
The government backed giving 2.7 million workers an above-inflation boost to their wages to help workers cope with the soaring cost of fuel. Unions are arguing for a 5% rise in the minimum wage from July, in line with where many economists predict inflation will reach as the global energy shock delivers another cost-of-living blow to households.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again.
Updated
Sydney residents to conserve water after 'major water main break'
Residents in more than 40 Sydney suburbs have been urged to conserve water after a main burst last night at a key pumping station.
In a statement, water utility Sydney Water said a “major water main break” early yesterday evening at its West Ryde pumping station had reduced water transfers to parts of the upper and lower north shores. Managing director Darren Cleary said:
While water supply is continuing, this incident has made it harder for us to move water where it’s needed across the north shore.
We’re asking customers to help by reducing non-essential water use so we can maintain supply to the community while we carry out repairs.
A video of the incident posted to social media appears to show an enormous jet of water rising from the building. Sydney Water has issued a conserve water notice, calling for the reduction of non-essential use while repairs are under way over the next few days, including minimising hosing driveways, watering gardens and washing cars.
“You can also help by taking shorter showers and using the half-flush on your toilet.” it said on its website.
Updated
BoM warns of severe wind and heavy rainfall from Cyclone Narelle
Ashley:
We’re still expecting tropical cyclone impacts to be possible south of Shark Bay through the Kalbarri, Geraldton and inland areas as it moves over land.
The system is packing winds well over 200km an hour at the moment, and all those coastal places between Exmouth and Shark Bay can expect those severe wind impacts.
As well as that heavy rainfall with 200mm or more during 24 hour period is expected close to the path of the system as well.
So that will bring flooding and flash flooding of those areas as it moves through, as well as those two wind and rainfall impacts.
Ashley asked people to keep across all warnings coming out of the BoM.
Updated
Latest updates on Cyclone Narelle
Authorities in WA have just given an update regarding Cyclone Narelle, which could possibly reach a category 5 system according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
James Ashley from the bureau said:
Tropical Cyclone Narelle is a severe tropical system, a large and powerful category four system off the Pilbara coast, moving south westwards towards the Exmouth area.
The current track of the system has it moving close to Exmouth overnight tonight and in the early hours of tomorrow morning, and we can expect significant impacts from both wind and rain and potentially even storm surge through the Exmouth area over the next 12 to 18 hours.
The system is expected to move southwards after passing close to Exmouth overnight, taking it close to places like coral Bay, Carnarvon and Denham as a severe tropical cyclone during Friday.
As it moves further south, it will begin to start weakening.
Updated
Woman charged after anti-Herzog rallies in February
A woman has been charged by NSW police after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters rallied at Sydney Town Hall to oppose Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit, as investigations continue into a planned public assembly in Sydney’s CBD last month.
In a statement, NSW police said:
The crowd were issued a number of directions by police to disperse in accordance with the PARD and Major Events Act. When participants failed to comply, officers moved to disperse the crowd, including anyone who had stopped and was blocking pedestrian access.
As part of ongoing inquiries, strike force investigators arrested a 42-year-old woman this morning (Thursday 26 March 2026), at a unit [in] Ashfield.
The 42-year-old was taken to Burwood police station where she was charged with hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty, intimidate police officer in execution of duty without actual bodily harm, throw missile at police officer executing duty no actual bodily harm and use indecent/threatening etc language in major event area.
She was granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre local court on Wednesday 15 April 2026.
Investigations under Strike Force Laine continue.
Updated
Queensland attorney general questioned over controversial Legal Aid board appointment
Queensland’s attorney general, Deb Frecklington, has dodged questions about her decision to appoint controversial former Palm Island cop Darren Robinson to the state Legal Aid board.
Shadow minister Leeanne Enoch asked Frecklington whether she had consulted with Indigenous leaders on the appointment, which has been heavily criticised this week. Robinson investigated sergeant Chris Hurley, the officer accused of causing the death of Mulrunji Doomadgee in custody in 2004.
Frecklington dodged the question, criticising Labor members’ record on funding Legal Aid and telling the opposition to “wake up earlier and work harder”.
Earlier in question time, the education minister, John-Paul Langbroek, was pressed on his decision to sign off on renaming the state’s newest theatre, months before holding a public vote on the name, which endorsed his choice.
“The minister has said the premier approves everything he does, including the naming of the Glasshouse Theatre. Did the premier approve the name ‘Glasshouse’ before or after the public consultation process?” shadow minister Di Farmer asked.
“[The] premier approves of everything that I do,” Langbroek said.
He said that 42% of people had voted to call the theatre “Glasshouse” in the public ballot and just five people had written in a name. Qpac’s board recommended naming the theatre after well-known Queensland poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal, but her name was not included as an option in the poll
Updated
Woman found dead in water off Lord Howe Island
A woman has died after being pulled from the water at a beach on Lord Howe Island yesterday. In a statement, NSW police said:
About 10.30am (Wednesday 25 March 2026), emergency services were called to Neds beach, Lord Howe Island, following reports of a person unresponsive in the water.
Members of the public pulled a 54-year-old woman from the water and commenced CPR.
Officers attached to Mid North Coast Police District attended with the assistance of local hospital staff, and assisted with first aid, before the woman was taken to Gower Wilson Memorial Hospital; however, she was unable to be revived.
Police have commenced inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident and will prepare a report for the Coroner.
Updated
Bishop plucked from Australian town to lead Vatican legal wing
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Australian bishop from Broken Bay, Anthony Randazzo, to lead the Vatican’s legal wing, the Holy See Press Office said on Wednesday.
As head of the church’s Dicastery for Legislative Texts, Randazzo, who is from the little-known beachside diocese, will oversee a powerful body charged with “safeguarding” canon law.
Born in Australia to Italian migrants, Randazzo has spent the past five years tending to a flock spread across the idyllic beaches of northern Sydney and the Central Coast of New South Wales.
The 59-year-old son of suburban fruit sellers is the most senior Australian inside the Vatican since the late Cardinal George Pell, who was imprisoned on sexual abuse charges before his convictions were quashed in 2020. Randazzo said:
I am profoundly grateful to Pope Leo for the confidence and trust he has placed in me.
Updated
That’s all from me on the blog this week, thank you for following along! I’ll leave you with the brilliant Cait Kelly for the rest of the afternoon’s news. Take care!
Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time
Fuel was the name of the game again today, with the Coalition trying to put pressure on the government over fuel shortages across the country.
Chris Bowen again provided an update to the House on how many bowsers and service stations across the country are running empty.
Julie Collins told Barnaby Joyce to stop “panicking people” over possible food shortages.
Dai Le asked the prime minister if the government would cut the fuel excise – but it’s already been ruled out by the treasurer.
Liberal MP, Henry Pike, got sent off the pitch (out of the House) early on in question time today, but other than that it felt like a far more subdued end to the week.
Updated
Auction numbers hit four-year high and Melbourne house prices slip as market slows
The housing market is showing signs of slowing, with the number of homes going to auction at a four-year high and Melbourne home prices slipping since the start of the year.
Nearly half of homes that went to auction last week did not sell, Cotality data shows. Australia’s auction clearance rate was just under 57%, the lowest this year, with Sydney’s at 55%. The national rate was up above 60% for most of last year and spent some time above 70%, when it was very much a seller’s market - but no longer.
Part of the slump is the increasing number of people trying to sell their home. This week is on track to see 4,163 homes go to auction, the highest number since December 2021.
Rising house prices have pushed up sale profits, with resellers’ gains hitting a record $365,000 in December, Cotality has found. More than 95% of those who resold their properties in the December quarter sold at a profit.
Rising interest rates and falling real incomes have now started to weigh on house prices, giving homeowners and investors reason to sell up and cash out. While smaller capital prices are still surging, Melbourne home values have fallen in the last three months and Sydney’s are flat, Cotality daily data shows.
Question time ends
After a final dixer to the health minister, Mark Butler, question time ends for the day.
Liberal MP Leon Rebello is up next
He says a food wholesaler in his electorate operates 50 trucks but was told yesterday that they could not get any fuel from their distributor.
Anthony Albanese seizes on the question and says it goes to the government’s legislation that it introduced this morning, and then brought debate on by adding it to the opposition’s suspension of standing orders.
There’s a bit of a backstory here from the House, so if you want to read a bit more context – go here.
Dan Tehan tries to make a point of order but gets promptly shut down.
Albanese continues and doesn’t hold back any punches.
I was asked – when will we take action – today, this morning we did!
What has it got to do with trucking? That is what the legislation was! You asked that it be brought forward. You then vote against your own suspension of standing orders. And then when the legislation was put before the parliament, you scurried out. You scurried out!
A note here, the opposition said it didn’t want to debate and vote on the bill for truck drivers today because they hadn’t even seen it, and said it needed proper scrutiny.
Updated
Dai Le pushes Labor to cut fuel excise
Dai Le asks if the government will cut the fuel excise, with her constituents telling her that fuel in her electorate of south-western Sydney has hit more than $3.50 a litre. She says Italy has cut its fuel excise in response to the crisis.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has already said the government isn’t considering a cut to the excise.
Anthony Albanese says whether it be in his electorate of Grayndler, or south-west Sydney, or overseas, the fuel crisis is hitting everyone.
He says it’s the government’s role is to shield people from the “worst impacts of what is a global event”.
Nowhere is immune from the impact that this Middle East war is having and what that flows down to, from an impact on the national economy right through to an impact on individuals.
He says the governments tax cuts and medicare bulk billing clinics are helping people – but won’t say anything about an excise cut.
Le tries to make a point of order but the PM has already sat down.
Updated
Another constituent story from the opposition
Liberal frontbencher, Tony Pasin, also comes to the dispatch box with a constituent story. It’s a strategy the party has been employing more and more recently.
Pasin says Mary in his electorate (which is in regional South Australia) needs fuel for her tractors but the earliest she is getting fuel, despite ordering it at the beginning of March, is 1 April.
Chris Bowen tells Pasin to give him Mary’s details so he can take up her issue with suppliers, and says he understands “the pressure Mary is under”.
Bowen said earlier that Ampol’s supply to regional South Australia is up 44%, and has now added that Viva’s – another refiner – supply is up 14% in South Australia.
Year on year, the supply is 43% up in NSW, 22% up in Queensland, 14% up in South Australia and 8 per cent in Western Australia. If you take Ampol and Viva together, they are supplying more petrol and diesel to regional Australia now than they were a year ago.
This is an internationally very difficult circumstance and it is time for people of goodwill to come together and that’s what adults in the room do.
Updated
Back to the crossbench…
Andrew Gee takes the liberty to ask three questions, asking if the government will support his bill allowing the commonwealth to control fuel prices, if the government will cut the fuel excise, and support businesses affected by a highway closure in his electorate.
The government has already rejected calls to cut the fuel excise.
Albanese doesn’t say anything about Gee’s bill, but does say that work on the highway, which has been shut because of a 194-year-old bridge that is not safe to drive on, should have been done earlier.
The truth is all governments, state and federal, probably should have done something about this before and the fact that it has had such an impact is indeed of real concern.
Updated
Question for Bowen on Easter fuel supplies
Nationals MP, Michelle Landry asks Chris Bowen again if he will guarantee that people travelling to the regions over Easter will be able to fill up their cars, and if he will commit to daily updates to individual service stations that run out of fuel?
Bowen says he just provided an update on the number of fuel stations that have run out of fuel, and the update from Ampol showing more fuel going out to the regions (see previous posts).
I will tell the House what sun helpful. It is not recognising that Australia’s fuel supply is secure, it is not accepting the fact that the ships that have been cancelled replaced.
Misleading Australians that somehow some of the fuel from refineries is being exported which is not true. Somehow linking it to net zero, that is all untrue and unhelpful.
Dan Tehan tries to raise a point of order, which leader of the house, Tony Burke, tries to get the Speaker to shut down. They’re both told to sit down, and Milton Dick tells Tehan to respect the standing orders.
Bowen continues:
We will continue to work in the lead up to Easter and we will all be working in Easter with the industry to make sure that is the case. In relation to updates, I provided updates in the House each day. No doubt, [I will] do that next week.
Updated
Further questions on fuel prices from Liberal frontbench
Melissa McIntosh says her constituent in Western Sydney, Shane, is worried he soon won’t be able to afford to drive to work as fuel prices escalate.
She asks what the government is doing to help Shane and whether the government will commit publishing daily updates of individual service stations that have run out of fuel?
Chris Bowen says every state and territory has an app where they publish service station information, which he says is by law.
Oil prices are high for pretty obvious reasons. That would be the case regardless of who is in office.
I would point out to the House that every state has an app or website where service station information is available.
Updated
Opposition asks for statistics on fuel shortages
Manager of opposition business, Dan Tehan, asks Chris Bowen for an update on the number of services stations without fuel.
Bowen has been giving an update on the numbers to question time every day this week.
Here is the latest breakdown:
NSW: 178 with no diesel, 48 with no stock.
Queensland: 55 with no diesel, 33 with no regular unleaded.
Victoria: 45 with no diesel (down 20) and 72 with no unleaded, (down 70).
South Australia: nine with no diesel, ten with no unleaded.
Western Australia: 40 with no diesel, and 14 with no unleaded.
Tasmania: five with no diesel, nine with some sort of outage.
No outages in the Northern Territory that are attributable to a lack of fuel supply.
ACT: two with no diesel and one with no unleaded.
He adds, “I’m advised these shortages in the ACT are typically dealt with within the hour.”
Updated
‘Stop panicking people’, government tells Joyce
Over to the crossbench, Barnaby Joyce asks the agriculture minister what the government’s plans are to prepare for any food shortages due to the fuel crisis.
The minister, Julie Collins, says farmers are facing fuel issues but tells Joyce to “stop panicking people”, because Australia can produce more than enough food to feed itself.
We can produce enough food in this country to more than feed the Australian people, which is why we currently export around 80% of our primary produce, in terms of value.
So, the member opposite shouldn’t be panicking people when it comes to food supply in this country.
She reiterates the measures like convening the national cabinet, and introducing ACCC legislation as actions the government has taken on.
Updated
Supply to Australia ‘remains strong’ says Bowen
Chris Bowen says fuel supplies to Australia remain strong, after he announced yesterday that all six supply shipments that were cancelled over the weekend were replaced.
He also says that according to Ampol, fuel supplies to independent retailers and regional areas are up year on year.
Our two refineries are working full pelt with all their production exclusively for Australian use, and that is certainly, Mr Speaker, the way it should be at this situation.
Ampol advised me, for example, their year-on-year supplies to regional Australia and their supplies to independent distributors. For example, March this year, compared to March last year.
40% higher to independent suppliers in regional NSW, 33% higher in regional Queensland, 66% higher in South Australia, 22% higher in Tasmania, 19% higher in Victoria, and 64% higher in Western Australia.
Bowen adds that supplies to Ampol’s own retail outlets are up 34% in NSW and 44% in South Australia.
But he says that doesn’t mean there aren’t shortages being faced across the country.
When you get a big increase in demand it takes time for the supply chain to recover to back-fill the existing demand, but the fact that the supply to regional Australia is up substantially, shows the measures this government has put in place with industry, working closely in collaboration with the states, are seeing real progress, Mr Speaker, which is what Australians so desperately, so desperately deserve and are receiving.
Updated
Nationals MP asks PM about fuel shortages
Alison Penfold quotes a constituent from Anthony Albanese’s electorate who spoke to 2GB saying she drove past five empty petrol stations and questioned, “what do I do if there’s no fuel? What if my kids get sick and I can’t pick them up?”
Anthony Albanese says there is global conflict, and the commonwealth is working with the states and territories on a response.
He tries to quote Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, who has said “our price also be impacted by the world price”.
We don’t come in here and say there’s not a war. We don’t come in here and say there aren’t issues of distribution. What we do is come in here and put forward practical plans to make a difference.
The Coalition tries to make a point of order to stop the PM quoting Canavan. Milton Dick says Albanese can quote others as long as it’s directly relevant to the question.
Albanese continues to quote former Nationals leaders:
“Stick to our normal daily operations and schedules and don’t think that we have to always keep topping up. The fuel is coming.” That was the responsible former leader, once removed, of the National party. The former National party leader twice removed said a similar thing when he said, “People just need to calm themselves down”.
Updated
It’s question time!
When is the prime minister going to fix this national crisis, asks Angus Taylor.
The opposition leader starts off the final question time for the fortnight, saying “farmers can’t farm, truckies can’t truck, and miners can’t mine.”
Anthony Albanese pokes fun at the opposition for introducing the motion to bring on debate and a vote on the ACCC penalty legislation to combat fuel price gouging – and then voting against it with government amendments (you can read all about that here).
He says he is convening another National Cabinet meeting next week – which will take place on Monday, appointed a fuel supply taskforce coordinator and released 20% of the fuel reserves.
[They’re] coming in here and pretending that this conflict, which we do not know when it will end, we hope it ends soon, is not having an impact around the globe is, frankly, treating people like mugs …
Maybe they could take the advice of the former leader of the National party, people need to calm themselves down, is what he said. Maybe he is talking about his colleagues.
Updated
Victorian premier on leadership speculation
At the Victorian premier Jacinta Allan’s press conference this morning, she was also asked about reports she has been calling her colleagues in order to secure their support.
This follows last week’s talk at parliament that the Premier’s Socialist Left faction was pushing for a leadership change.
She dismissed the reports, telling reporters “I talk to my colleagues all the time.”
There’s nothing new about me, picking up a phone, sitting down and having a cup of coffee and working with my great united strong Labor team. Just this week, I’ve been with the member for Laverton on Monday. On Tuesday, I was with the member for Springvale, the member for Frankston, the member for Clarinda. Yesterday, I spent part of the day with the member for Glen Waverley, the member for Northcote, the member for Box Hill. We’ll let you know where we’re going tomorrow.
I spend a lot of my time talking, engaging with my colleagues, because we’re part of a team ... That’s a foreign concept for the Liberal Party to understand, I get that, because they’ve consistently been divided, chaotic and extreme.
Allan also disputed another report that colleagues were keen to pause the Surburban Rail Loop and call a royal commission into the CFMEU’s influence on Victorian government construction sites.
Updated
‘We have to stand on our own feet’: German minister says globe must rely less on the US
German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, says Europe should keep the US engaged, but that it should also stand more on its own two feet.
He also, like Ursula von der Leyen and Mark Carney, says it’s up to middle powers like Australia to do more to uphold international order.
On the one hand, it’s of strategic importance for us to keep the United States engaged. We need them to be on Ukraine’s and our side in the confrontation with an aggressive and revisionist Russia. And for the foreseeable future, the US nuclear umbrella is indispensable for effective deterrence.
On the other hand, we have to stand on our own feet more and more. Our American allies want to see a European-led Nato and we have acted and are acting to build a more European Nato, a Nato in which Europeans bear the brunt of conventional deterrence and defence.
He compares the decline in the traditional rules based world order to a game of football, saying if one side changes the rules halfway through and decides to pick up the ball and tackle the other side, the game “falls apart”.
If you change the rules in the middle of the match, the game falls apart, the same is true for the global order.
In times of great power competition, it is on us middle powers like Australia and Germany to uphold the core principles of the international order.
After my visit to Japan and Singapore before coming here, I’m now reassured that middle powers in Europe and the western hemisphere and Africa and in the Indo-Pacific can and must make a difference when it comes to upholding rules and principles of international politics.
Updated
Noah and Charlotte remain NSW’s top baby names, with ‘vintage’ choices on the rise
For a little change of pace – if you are heading to a playground in New South Wales today expect to hear plenty of shouts for Noah and Charlotte. New 2025 data from the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages shows these names retained their top spots, continuing a dominance that began in the early 2020s.
New names have broken into the top 100 further down the rankings.
Fletcher was the highest debut for boys, followed by newcomers Rory, August, and Micah. For girls, the list welcomed Amira, Mabel, Maggie, and Celine, a mix of modern momentum and “nostalgic rebirths.”
The registry noted a growing preference for “meaningful and distinctive” names, with a show of “vintage choices.”
Registrar, Theresa Fairman, said tastes have changed radically over the decades, nearly every top name from 1952 has now vanished from the top 100.
Minister for customer service Jihad Dib said:
It’s exciting to see new names breaking through and becoming part of the next generation … these are the names that will shape classrooms, communities and futures across NSW.
Updated
Continuing from our last post …
In a statement after the TGA’s announcement, the Choice director of campaigns, Andy Kelly, said:
Sunscreen regulation has been top of mind for the Australian public since Choice raised the alarm last year on test results revealing that 16 of 20 sunscreens failed to meet their SPF claims, including one product with an SPF of only 4.
Proposals to improve and expand testing requirements, require accreditation for testing laboratories, and increase transparency will help restore consumer trust in the reliability of SPF claims.
While there are some options we don’t support, such as replacing the current SPF numbering system, we commend the TGA for acting.
In a country where two in three people will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer in their lifetime, it’s vital that consumers can rely on SPF claims when purchasing products to protect their skin from the harsh Australian sun.
We look forward to working with the TGA to ensure this will be the case going into the future.
You can read more of our coverage on sunscreen here:
Updated
Choice welcomes consultation on sunscreen regulation
The consumer advocacy group Choice has welcomed an announcement by Australia’s medicines regulator that it has opened consultation on several proposed changes to the way sunscreen is regulated.
The sunscreen industry has been in the spotlight since Choice published a study it conducted on the sun protection factor (SPF) efficacy on a range of popular brands, which found many were falling short of the sun protection claims made on the bottle.
More than 20 products were pulled from shelves last year, as subsequent media reporting raised further questions around certain formulas, the reliability of some production and testing laboratories, and the differences between cosmetic and therapeutic sunscreens.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) this morning announced it was seeking feedback on proposed changes to improve the regulation of therapeutic sunscreens in Australia.
The TGA’s suggested improvements to the current regulatory framework include improving reliability and transparency of SPF testing and providing greater consistency with the indications that therapeutic and cosmetic sunscreens can make.
Updated
Hastie 'open minded' on 25% tax on soaring gas profits
Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie says he is open to a new 25% tax on soaring gas profits as part of a Scandinavian-style sovereign wealth fund to strengthen the federal budget amid the global energy crisis.
Budget leaks suggest the Albanese government is modelling the effects of placing a flat 25% tax on gas profits, as well as possible further changes to the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) and corporate income tax.
The shadow minister for industry and sovereign capability told Guardian Australia’s Australian Politics podcast that revenue from natural resources needed to be carefully managed. The proposed new gas tax is being championed by the Greens, crossbencher David Pocock and campaign groups. Hastie said:
I think a lot of people, Australians, feel like the multinationals don’t have a social licence, that they’ve had a really good run of our wealth here, and so I’m sympathetic to that point of view.
I just know how important those industries are to Australia, so I’d want to get it right. So, I guess I’m open-minded about those questions.
You can read the full exclusive story from my colleague Tom McIlroy here:
And you can listen to Tom’s full interview with Hastie on the Australian politics podcast here.
Updated
‘We’re not running out of fuel’ says Labor minister
Labor minister Sam Rae says Australia is not running out of fuel and there still isn’t a supply issue, despite hundreds of bowsers running dry.
Speaking to Sky News, he says fuel prices are high but the problem is with panic buying, which is leading to localised demand spikes and fuel shortages.
We’re still getting the same amount of fuel arriving here in Australia [but with] demand spikes in particular communities.
We’ve got fuel, that’s not an issue. People shouldn’t be concerned that Australia is running out of fuel, we’ve got fuel. We know prices are higher than anyone would like, and we’re not immune from those international oil prices. But Australia is fuel secure. Panic buying is not the answer.
Updated
‘Geographic distance no longer guarantees security’: German defence minister
German’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, is addressing the National Press Club after signing a defence agreement with Australia.
In a similar vein to European Commission Ursula von der Leyen’s address to the parliament earlier this week, Pistorius says conflicts are interconnected and geographic distance “no longer guarantees security”.
He says the ongoing war in Ukraine is linked to the war in the Middle East.
In today’s security environment, geographic distance no longer guarantees security. Many of the current conflicts and wars are linked to each other. Theatres of conflict may appear regional, but security today is global … Security in Europe and security in the Indo-Pacific are two sides of the same coin.
Within our own region, Pistorius says that while China isn’t directly involved, the country is certainly paying attention to how the West is reacting to Russia and Iran.
By trading with Russia in areas ranging from natural resources to double-use goods, China helps Moscow mitigate the effects of Western sanctions and consequently continue its war effort.
It is paying very close attention to how the United States and its allies respond to these conflicts, especially to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Updated
Australia and Germany sign ‘status of forces’ defence pact
The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, have signed a “status of forces” agreement which will “make it easier for our defence forces to operate from each others’ countries”.
The two nations have also signed a letter of intent on space cooperation and letter of cooperation on defence industry.
Marles says it’s a relationship “that’s going from strength to strength”.
Pistorious says Australia is Germany’s closest partner in the Pacific region, and heralds the partnership in an era of “less reliability, less honesty, [and] less predictability”.
Updated
ACCC bill likely to pass today
The government’s bill to increase the penalties for fuel price gouging will probably pass this afternoon.
You might remember the shenanigans in the house this morning, where the Coalition brought on a motion to immediately debate the bill to increase ACCC penalties and vote on it by 1pm.
But what the Coalition didn’t want was for the government to also bring on debate and a vote on its Fair Work amendment bill to cut down waiting times for truck drivers and transport operators to negotiate contract chain orders (the government says this will help truck drivers against fuel price spikes).
The Senate has also now agreed to bring on debate for the ACCC bill this afternoon, after it passes the house, and bring it to an earlier vote – so it is likely to pass today.
But the opposition will have more time to scrutinise the Fair Work amendment, which won’t be voted on in the Senate today (and where the government doesn’t have the numbers).
Updated
Government backs ‘economically sustainable real wage increase’ and says wages are not driving inflation
The employment minister, Amanda Rishworth, says the government will push for an “economically sustainable real wage rise” in its submission to the fair work commission’s decision on the minimum wage.
The government has never made a submission to the Fair Work Commission with a concrete figure. In contrast, the Australian Council of Trade Unions has pushed for a 5% minimum wage increase.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra, Rishworth says wages are not driving inflation.
Wages are not a key driver of the recent pressures that we’ve seen when it comes to inflation.
The Fair Work Commission has a number of months to consider applications from business and from government, and will make its decision starting from 1 July. So we recognise that it is a volatile environment … that is why we haven’t put a number on this, but has asked to consider an economically sustainable real wage increase.
Updated
Government backs above-inflation boost to minimum wage
The government has backed giving 2.7 million workers an above-inflation boost to their wages to help workers cope with the soaring cost of fuel.
Unions are arguing for a 5% rise in the minimum wage from July, in line with where many economists predict inflation will reach as the global energy shock delivers another cost-of-living blow to households.
In its submission to the Fair Work Commission, the government argued for “an economically sustainable real wage increase to Australia’s award workers”.
Business groups have argued for an increase of 3.5%, below the latest inflation rate of 3.7% in the year to February, saying employers are already struggling with high operating costs.
From 1 July 2025, the national minimum wage is $948.00, based on a week of 38 ordinary hours ($24.95 per hour).
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Animal Justice Party MP criticises shelving of animal welfare laws
The Animal Justice Party MP, Georgie Purcell, says she calls “BS” on the premier’s comments that they are too busy to introduce animal welfare bill to parliament before the election. She says in a statement:
I call BS. The government’s legislative agenda is not busy – Jacinta Allan either doesn’t care about animals, or she’s scared of animal abusing lobby groups. Or both ... Jacinta Allan’s inaction isn’t just disappointing - it’s predictable. And yet again we’re stuck in groundhog day, having the same conversation with this tired government over and over, while animals continue to pay the price.
Victorian premier says ‘a lot has changed’ since Labor committed to overhaul animal cruelty laws
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, was also asked today about our story on the government removing the long-promised animal care and protection bill from the parliamentary agenda. She said:
We have a very busy legislative agenda, and in that environment, we do have to prioritise from time to time, legislation that comes before the parliament.
When asked why it was taking so long, given the laws were first committed to in 2017, she said “a number of things have changed”. Allan went on:
A lot has changed since that first commitment was made at a very different time. I wasn’t the premier at the time. It was made [at] a very different time. A lot has changed since then. And when you look at the discussion we’ve just been having this morning about the global pressures that are coming on local communities. That’s where my focus is right now.
The bill, which was drafted in 2023, recognises all animals – from pets to farm animals and those in zoos – as sentient beings, meaning they are capable of feelings such as pain and pleasure. It also outlined minimum care requirements – including food, water, shelter, hygiene and exercise – backed by a new offence for owners who fail to meet them.
Here’s our story from this morning:
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The Victorian fuel update (see previous post) indicates the Wednesday numbers show a significant improvement.
The 72 stations without diesel are an improvement from 92 the day before.
And the 45 without petrol are less than half the 115 of the day before.
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Victorian premier provides fuel update
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has provided an update on fuel supplies in the state at a press conference this morning. She says as of 5pm Wednesday, there were 72 service stations were without diesel, 26 of those were in metropolitan Melbourne and 46 in rural and regional Victoria. There were also 45 without petrol, 14 in metropolitan Melbourne and 31 in regional Victoria.
Allan said she welcomed the prime minister’s decision to convene a national cabinet meeting on Monday:
As premier of Victoria, I’ll be very, very vocal ... making sure that Victorian suppliers get a share of the minimum supply obligations, and also make sure that that supply gets through to rural and regional communities. I emphasise the advice from the federal government is we’re not [there yet but] should there need to be consideration of further measures, it does need to be a nationally coordinated one, because this is not something that stops at a state border. Supply comes into the nation and is distributed nationally, so we need to take that national approach.
ABC staff end strike, first news program to return to local radio at 5pm
ABC staff ended their strike at 11am today but the first key news program to return to local radio stations will be PM at 5pm.
After 11am listeners would have heard a repeat of Conversations with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, which is networked across the broadcaster’s eight metropolitan stations in capital cities and 45 regional station.
The usual noon program, The World Today with Andy Park, will not be aired today because there was no time to prepare the current affairs show.
The World Today missed two shows over the 24-hour strike by around 2,000 ABC union members.
This morning, radio audiences heard ABC 702 manager Nick Lowther hosting the show across most states, including NSW and Victoria, although some markets did host their own breakfast shows.
Without comment, Lowther played 1980s pop song Our House by English band Madness as he signed off minutes before 11am.
Former AM presenter Sabra Lane, who is now a Tasmanian reporter and presenter, read the radio news bulletins throughout the strike.
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Radio National returns after strike action
Normal programming wasn’t back immediately on Radio National at 11am, despite the official end of strike action at the ABC.
Or rather, it was Bach immediately... the soothing strains of Bach’s Air on a G String heralded the lapse of industrial action, as staff returning from their strike clearly weren’t quite ready to improvise a top-of-the-hour news bulletin for the national network.
Minutes later the station was still MIA, with the program guide’s promised edition of Global Roaming instead a recording of Jonathan Green’s Saturday morning cooking program Every Bite.
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ASX slips slightly as Iran rejects US war negotiations
The Australian sharemarket is treading water as hopes for an end to war in the Middle East fade.
Donald Trump’s promises of a pause in his war on Iran gave US stock markets a boost overnight, and the ASX was expected to follow today, in what would have been its third consecutive day rising.
Sentiment has now turned as Iran rejects negotiation, with oil prices rising – the benchmark West Texas Intermediate heading up from US$88 to US$91 – and the ASX200 tiptoeing just under its close of 8,534 points yesterday.
Share prices are falling for more than half of Australia’s 200 top companies. REA Group, owner of realestate.com.au, is at lows not seen since 2023, facing a weakening property market and stronger competition from Domain.
Most of the big banks have been holding steady in recent days, with the exception of NAB, which hit a record high market value of $150bn in the days before the war broke out and is now worth $130bn.
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ABC journalist calls Marks’ comments on strike ‘utterly offensive’
ABC journalist Michael Slezak, co-chair of the MEAA ABC national house committee, has described managing director Hugh Marks’ comments this morning as “utterly offensive”.
As we reported earlier, Marks said he felt that ABC staff saw taking industrial action as “a bit of a game”, and said “if they want the audiences to suffer more, of course it’s their right to take protected industrial action.”
Slezak, an environment reporter and also the president of the media section of MEAA, urged Marks to retract the comments.
He told the Guardian:
The idea that ABC staff see this as a game is utterly offensive. We have been at the table with management for nine months trying to reach an agreement that allows us to continue our work and deliver quality news and content to the audiences that we love.
The claims that we have are all about creating a strong ABC with a bright future. The suggestion that ABC staff want to hurt audiences is beyond offensive. It’s outrageous, and he should retract those comments immediately.
Slezak said Marks’ recent claims that the ABC was not an insecure place to work “shows he’s not listening to the staff”.
What we are saying is that you cannot do fearless journalism if you’re fearing for your own job. That is just not conducive to quality news. He needs to come to the table and address these major issues.
What’s happening in the house?
Ok, so after the Coalition introduced a motion to bring on debate and expedite a vote on the ACCC bill to increase penalties on fuel price gouging, the government made an amendment to also include expedited debate and a vote for their legislation to help truckies with fuel price spikes.
The second piece of legislation – an amendment to the Fair Work Act to help truckies – was only introduced this morning, and the Coalition says it hasn’t had any time to read it.
Under that legislation, truck drivers and transport operators will be able to make an emergency application for a contract chain order, cutting down the current wait time of six months.
The Coalition voted against the whole motion that they brought on (with the government amendment), but the government, with its big majority, got it over the line.
Now, the house is debating both bills (which the parliament calls in cognate), and each member only gets five minutes to make their argument.
Debate will be guillotined at 1pm, at which point the two bills will be voted on (and they’re guaranteed to pass).
The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says the Coalition supports the ACCC penalty bill but bringing a vote on the Fair Work Act is a “dangerous precedent” after the amendment was only just introduced.
[The government] has allowed time to drift, we are simply asking that that matter which is simple, straightforward and clear be resolved.
Instead what the government is now doing is a shambolic process to try and shut down parliamentary scrutiny, shut down parliamentary accountability … It was introduced this morning, a copy has not even as far as I am aware been available to the opposition or [if] it [has] I haven’t had a chance to read it yet.
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Media union refuses to rule out further industrial action
The deputy chief executive of the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, Adam Portelli, has refused to rule out further industrial action if ABC management does not make an offer that meets staff needs.
Speaking to ABC Sydney this morning, Portelli criticised ABC management for prioritising “a significant amount of money on court cases” and “other payment” which “we would say have been unnecessary”.
Portelli continued:
What they don’t seem to have done is budgeted for-cost of-living increases. Now for the national broadcaster not to have in its budget a cost-of-living increase that meets inflation, we say simply isn’t good enough.
On insecure work, Portelli gave the example of a staff member at the ABC who had, over their 3.5 years with the broadcaster, been on “no less than 19 contracts”.
Now, that’s an outrageous situation and goes to really the heart of one of the significant concerns our members have. But it also doesn’t seem to be something that would be particularly cost-effective to the ABC.
ABC staff taking industrial action today are members of either the journalists’ union, MEAA, or the non-journalists’ Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), which represents staff in technology and control systems.
Portelli would not rule out further industrial action, but said ABC staff were not taking action unnecessarily.
Our members would rather not take action. They would rather get back to work and do what they love doing, which is delivering for their audiences. But ultimately, if the offer on the table doesn’t provide those sustainable jobs that they need, we certainly wouldn’t be closing the door to further action.
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Opposition flip on their own motion in the house
There’s been an interesting turn of events in the House of Representatives this morning, with the opposition moving a motion – and then backflipping on it after the government added an amendment.
Let’s go through it.
The opposition moved a suspension of standing orders to bring on Labor’s bill that doubles penalties the ACCC can dish out to fuel companies which are price gouging. The manager of opposition business, Dan Tehan, said:
The government made a big deal about this ACCC bill, said it was urgent, we had the minister saying that it was urgent, yet here we are on Thursday of this parliamentary sitting week in the middle of a national fuel crisis and all we’ve had is this bill introduced …
It brings me no joy doing the government’s job for them.
The motion Tehan was trying to bring on would have shortened debate on the ACCC bill and allowed it to be voted on and passed today.
The government then moved an amendment to tack on the legislation that it announced earlier this week to protect the trucking industry from fuel price spikes.
The opposition doesn’t support that amendment, but the government – as we know – had the numbers to add their amendment.
But now, with that amendment, the opposition didn’t want to support its own motion any more! So it feels like we’ve gone in a bit of a circle here.
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Minns says Australia needs energy autonomy ‘across the board’
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says Australia should have energy autonomy “across the board”, including but not limited to its oil and liquid fuel needs.
At a press conference this morning, Minns provided an update on fuel shortages in the state, including the establishment today of its fuel emergency operations centre today.
The NSW government has used an emergency power to compel major fuel companies to advise where they are sending reserves released by the federal government. Minns says the use of additional powers, including rationing, will follow a “graduated approach” with particular attention paid to the number of inbound fuel tankers to Australia.
Asked if he supported more domestic oil production and refining, he said:
We’re going to have to look at our strategic returns in the months ahead. We’ve got to deal with the acute issues as they land today, but we’re more than willing to work with the commonwealth government about what I would call autonomy and having a strategic ability, the independence when it comes to energy.
Now, we are an energy producing economy, whether it’s coal, whether it’s gas, that’s something that we want to see exploited here in New South Wales, particularly in Narrabri or whether it’s renewable energy, which is rapidly expanding and hugely important for our economy. But this crisis is evidence that economies need to have their own access to energy, and I wouldn’t put it specifically or only as it relates to oil or diesel or petrol, it has to be across the board.
Australia relies on imports for 90% of its liquid fuel needs, with oil production at its lowest since the late 1960s.
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‘The whole system is busted’: NSW reignites calls for GST reform
Daniel Mookhey says that in his three years as NSW treasurer, his state’s share of the GST has gone from 93 cents in the dollar down to 82 cents, while Victoria’s share has gone up from 96 cents to $1.07.
Mookhey says other states except for Western Australia – including South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania – are all calling for reform to Scott Morrison’s controversial GST deal struck in 2018 that hands over billions to WA.
The latest distribution calculation, released last week, shows WA will over the next year get an extra $5.5bn from the deal.
Mookhey says NSW has been “carrying” the federation, and takes aim at his southern neighbour.
It’s in dire need of an overhaul, the whole system is busted …
I know that NSW people will accept that we have an obligation to help Tasmania, South Australia, and the territories, but I do think it’s a bit rich to ask NSW to be shipping billions of dollars down the Hume Highway to Victoria.
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‘We can only do what we can afford’: NSW negotiates with commonwealth over Tomago bailout
There’s a split between the commonwealth and NSW governments over a proposed rescue package for the Tomago aluminium smelter, after the state received a smaller share of GST revenue.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, the NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, weighed into the row and said his states resources are “even more limited than before”.
Yesterday the federal government announced it would go 50/50 with the Queensland government on a $2bn subsidy package for Rio Tinto’s Boyne aluminium smelter.
Mookhey warned that GST revenue NSW has been cut to the “lowest level since GST was introduced” 26 years ago, which would impact how much the state could contribute.
Mookhey said:
We want to help save the jobs at Tomago ,we do think there’s a strong case, we know how important that is for the Hunter but we’re just making the point here that we can only do what we can afford, and after the GST carve-up we can afford a little less than we could before.
Mookhey said NSW is talking to the federal government and “we’ve made it pretty clear what we can do”, but would not say how much money he was willing to chip in.
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Labor faces defeat in the Senate over housing bill
The Greens and Coalition have teamed up this morning to support shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg’s bill to create parliamentary oversight of the Housing Australia body, which controls the housing guarantee scheme and housing Australia future fund facility.
The government – without parliamentary oversight – expanded access to its home guarantee scheme which gives people access to 5% home deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance. Labor last year lifted property price caps, and scrapped caps on places and income limits.
Bragg’s legislation would force the government to make changes like the scheme expansion, through the parliament.
The government faced defeat in the Senate this morning, with the bill passed through the upper house.
Bragg says it’s the first private senators’ bill to pass the Senate in two years.
But – and there’s a big but here – the bill won’t pass through the House, where the government has a huge majority.
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ABC muddles through strike action
Local ABC radio stations are being hosted this morning by the manager at 702 ABC Radio Sydney as the 24-hour strike heads into its final straight.
Battling through a few technical glitches, Nick Lowther was heard in most states including NSW and Victoria, although some markets did host their own breakfast shows.
Former AM presenter Sabra Lane, who is now a Tasmanian reporter and presenter, read the radio news bulletins.
As we brought you earlier, the ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, gave a second interview in as many days to local radio, repeating his position that the ABC could not afford to pay the staff any more.
Marks said every 1% in additional pay to staff added $7m to the annual budget, and accused staff of making unrealistic demands.
A talkback caller in her 70s was scathing about Marks’ description of industrial bargaining as a “game”.
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RBA assistant governor says energy shock ‘making us all poorer’
The Reserve Bank’s assistant governor, Chris Kent, says soaring fuel prices will “make us all poorer”, but that the central bank was focused on making sure the initial energy shock did not lead to “extended inflationary pressures”.
The RBA’s monetary policy board earlier this month delivered a second straight interest rate rise, and warned that the spike in global oil prices would push already elevated inflation even higher.
Kent, speaking in Sydney this morning, said the RBA was monitoring the “countervailing forces operating on the economy”: that the energy shock risked embedding an inflationary mindset that would be hard to shake, versus the uncertain impact of a Middle East conflict. He said:
The longer the conflict persists, the larger the economic impact will be, and the greater the risk of a material repricing of assets.
A negative supply shock pushes up prices and leads to weaker economic activity, making us all poorer. Central banks cannot change that.
But they can ensure that the initial rise in prices does not lead to a rise in longer-term inflationary expectations and extended inflationary pressures.
Financial markets are pricing in a 64% chance of a third straight rate hike when the RBA board next meets in early May, and has fully priced in an increase by June, with another expected by September.
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Continuing from our last post …
ABC staff are protesting what they say is a low pay offer that puts them behind inflation, unfair work conditions including the use of rolling and short-term contracts, and the broadcaster’s refusal to rule out replacing journalists with artificial intelligence.
The ABC has lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission to resolve the dispute.
The managing director, Hugh Marks, said he believed the offer made to staff was “fair and reasonable”. He said use of contractors was “an unavoidable part of being the size of the organisation we are,” but also suggested they were mostly used for maintenance-type roles.
Marks said he expected some forms of industrial action to continue, though he wasn’t aware of plans for another strike.
At the end of the day, the people that are suffering are our audiences. So, you know, if they want the audiences to suffer more, of course it’s their right to take protected industrial action. That’s their right and we should respect that. Respect, I think, is a really important thing when you get into these discussions.
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ABC managing director says some ABC staff treating industrial action like ‘a bit of a game’
The ABC strike continues this morning, with the ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, saying he feels like the members of the ABC workforce currently taking industrial action have treated it like “a bit of a game”.
Speaking to ABC Sydney this morning (hosted, today, by Dubbo chief of staff Nick Lowther), Marks claimed the request for pay increases from staff was “unmanageable”, and that “[overindexing] certain payments to staff would put us at peril”.
More than 2,000 ABC staff around Australia walked off the job yesterday for 24 hours, forcing ABC services across TV, radio and digital to use BBC World Service and repeat programming. It follows nine months of enterprise bargaining that had not reached an agreement.
Marks said:
I’m sure there will be continual action in the workforce. You know, there are little things like email, you know, changes in Teams usage, and to the extent, Nick, sometimes it feels like a bit of a game to me. And I don’t think this is a game. I think this is really serious. And I think both sides need to say, you know what, the audience comes first and we need to stop playing games and focus on that and get to an outcome …
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Minns threatens petrol companies blocking supply from independent retailers
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, says his government will use “extraordinary powers” against fuel companies if they are unlawfully blocking independent retailers from purchasing fuel.
Speaking to the media this morning, Minns says distributions are clearly impacting independent retailers, and that he’s speaking with oil companies to fix the situation.
Independent petrol station operators and miners are currently urging the federal government to crack down harder on major fuel wholesalers hoarding supply and withholding deliveries from smaller operators.
Minns says:
We’re speaking with the oil companies to give us greater clarity. And I want to make it clear that if there’s not a lawful reason why independent petrol stations can’t purchase that petrol, we will take extraordinary actions, and the New South Wales government has access to those extraordinary powers.
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Barnaby Joyce calls for fuel rationing, saying a ‘plan is better than panic’
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce who yesterday called on the government to pull the trigger on the Liquid Fuel Emergency Act, is today calling for the government to start rationing fuel.
Speaking to reporters on his way into parliament this morning, Joyce said the fuel crisis is already impacting farmers and food producers, and would soon lead to food shortages.
This is going to ripple through. It’s going to start with a few sort of peculiarities. Isn’t that interesting? I don’t seem to have any eggs today. And then it’s going to build up and up and up and up. But by the time it arrives, it’s too late …
[The government] should be having rationing now, and he should be brave enough to say to the Australian people, look, you’re not going to like this, but you’re going to appreciate it. A plan is better than panic, and panic is where we’re going.
Correction note: a previous version of this post said food rationing, not fuel rationing.
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New bill to tackle illicit tobacco to be introduced today
The government will introduce a new bill in parliament today to crack down on illicit tobacco, creating new offences for illicit tobacco activity linked to organise crime, and expand powers for law enforcement to go after criminal profits generated from illicit tobacco.
Black market tobacco has become a significant problem for the government, not just due to the health impacts of smoking, but has burnt a hole in the budget bottom line.
Last year Australia’s crime agency warned illicit tobacco cost $3.3bn in lost tax revenue.
The government says black market tobacco seizures increased over 320% in the last financial year compared with four years ago.
The new legislation will also increase penalties for importing, possessing, buying, selling, producing and manufacturing illicit tobacco.
The assistant minister for customs, Julian Hill, said the issue isn’t isolated to Australia.
There is no one cause or single solution to tackle the illicit tobacco market. We need a multipronged and multi-jurisdictional approach to tackle the issue, including ongoing and enhanced collaboration with the states and territories.
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Paterson tells government to trigger Liquid Fuel Security Act for supply transparency
The Coalition is digging in, attacking the government’s response to the fuel crisis, and says Labor needs to do more to address the situation.
The government has said more fuel supplies are coming into the country now, and additional fuel is being released so it can be sent to regional areas, but hundreds of petrol bowsers across the country remain empty.
The shadow defence minister, James Paterson, says the government has the power to trigger the Liquid Fuel Security Act, which would allow the government to require fuel suppliers and companies to provide more detailed information on exactly where fuel is going and where there are shortages.
Speaking to Sky News, he said:
The energy minister has extraordinary powers in this area. They were passed by the previous government as Taylor was energy minister. It’s called the Fuel Security Act. It gives them visibility of the supply-and-demand issues across the economy, and great authority to lean on energy companies, fuel companies, distributors, wholesalers, intermediaries to make sure that supply gets to where it needs to go. So Chris Bowen is not rolling up his sleeves and getting on to that task.
While nations such as South Korea (as mentioned earlier) are putting in place voluntary measures for households, Paterson says any mandates like fuel rationing would be “devastating” for the economy.
I really, really hope we don’t get to that, and I hope the federal government is doing everything they can so that that is not necessary. That would be a terrible thing, that would have a devastating impact on our economy.
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Taylor tells government to direct fuel to empty petrol stations
Angus Taylor says the government needs to pick up the phone and get fuel companies to move fuel to areas facing shortages. It’s a similar direction to the Coalition’s line of questioning in question time yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday, the energy minister, Chris Bowen, told the house that 757m litres of petrol and diesel have now been released and moved into regional areas.
He also accuses the government and the prime minister of being “sold out”, but doesn’t clarify who they’ve been sold out to.
The fuel stocks are up. They’ve [the government] told us that. They said that yesterday, fuel stock levels are up. So move it to the sold out servos. There’s over 500 servos that haven’t got fuel. The fuel stocks are there, pick up the phone and tell the companies to move the stocks. It’s simple.
Host Sarah Abo tries to push back, and asks Taylor how that works when all states are facing a distribution problem. But he repeats that the government has said there’s more fuel stocks in the country now, so they should call the fuel companies and tell them to “move the stocks to the sold out servos”.
Once again, Abo pushes back and asks how this is a long-term solution for a crisis that will continue to impact the world for months to come.
Taylor doubles down and says the solution is continuing to move the fuel around, and reducing inflation.
The longer-term solution, clearly, is we’re going to see higher prices over the coming weeks and potentially many months, and we’ve got to keep the fuel moving … We have a budget coming up, and we need to see downward pressure on inflation.
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‘We sit here without a plan’: Nationals senator
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie says the government is playing a “blame game”, while countries around the world put in place emergency plans to tackle the fuel crisis.
On what solutions should be on the table, McKenzie says the trucking industry has been calling for GST relief, but doesn’t back a fuel excise cut because she says it hurts the whole transport industry.
Speaking to the Today show this morning, she said countries such as South Korea have been implementing a range of emergency measures for households.
You’ve got the federal and the state governments blame gaming, who’s in charge, and meanwhile, we sit here without a plan. We’ve got other countries right around the world instigating emergency provisions, prioritising their own citizens and their own nation’s needs … South Korea is implementing a plan. They’re also got rationing being implemented as well, and different countries are implementing different things.
A simple cut to fuel excise won’t help our transport industry at all, and that won’t stop that flow-on impact.
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Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.
It’s the final sitting day of the fortnight, which will again be dominated by the fuel crisis and war in the Middle East, and the ongoing economic fallout.
And this morning might feel a little different with fewer talking heads in the corridors. With the ABC still on strike until 11am this morning, the mics and camera remain turned off and the pollies won’t be showing up for their regular interviews.
But despite all that, it’s going to be another busy day, so let’s get stuck in!
Farmers warn fuel crisis could lead to food shortage in Australia
Farmers’ leaders have told us that the Covid era will seem like a “tea party” compared with the economic problems that could be unleashed by the current fuel crisis.
Michael Hampson, boss of dairy farmer cooperative Norco, says the disruption could be so bad that “we won’t be worried about running out of toilet paper – we’ll be worried about not having food”.
Read the full story here:
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Tropical Cyclone Narelle threatening Kimberley coast
In non-politics news, Tropical Cyclone Narelle has intensified once again and this time threatens Western Australia’s Kimberley coast after wreaking havoc across northern Queensland and the Northern Territory since last week.
Communities in the state’s world heritage-listed Shark Bay are preparing for a potential direct hit tomorrow night, and although Perth is likely to escape a direct hit, the city will see heavy rainfall, forecasters think.
Read our full story here:
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Australia condemns Iran’s attacks on Gulf states
Australia has condemned Iran’s indiscriminate attacks on Gulf states and Jordan, joining with many other like-minded nations at an urgent debate at the United Nations.
The UN urgent debate focused on a resolution brought by a group of countries to discuss Iran’s “recent military aggression launched by Iran against Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates” and the “targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, which has resulted in the loss of innocent lives”.
In a statement last night read out by Australia’s ambassador to the UN, Clare Walsh, Australia said:
We reiterate our call for Iran and its proxies to cease all such attacks immediately. Australia stands in solidarity with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan and affirms support for their sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, including by co-sponsoring their resolution, we recognise the profound impact that Iran’s actions are having on civilian populations in the region.
Australia continues to call on all parties to uphold international humanitarian law, to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel.
The statement contained no mention of actions by the US or Iran.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live politics blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories before Krishani Dhanji takes the wheel.
Australia has condemned Iran’s indiscriminate attacks on Gulf states and Jordan, joining with many other like-minded nations at an urgent debate at the United Nations. More details in a moment.
There is more gloom this morning about the worsening economic impact of the Iran war and how it threatens fuel shortages and higher food prices. We have more coming up, but we’ll also be across breaking economic news today which includes Reserve Bank assistant governor Christopher Kent speaking in Sydney this morning, which could include insights about how the crisis is being seen in Martin Place. The national accounts are released later in the morning and the OECD interim economic outlook is coming this evening.
