‘Not a fix’: the three questionable ideas politicians are pitching to solve Australia’s fuel crisis

Australian petrol vehicles can already operate on fuels containing up to 10% of ethanol by volume. But some countries, like Brazil and the United States, have so-called ‘flex fuel vehicles’ capable of running on very high ethanol content – some up to 100% – using fuel mostly produced from sugar cane and corn. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Australia should wean itself off fossil fuels in response to the current fuel crisis, experts say, but politicians have other ideas.

Andrew Hastie, the opposition spokesperson for sovereign capability, wants Australia to produce liquid fuels from coal, a move that would entrench reliance on fossil fuels and ratchet up emissions in the process.