Don’t repeat Covid failures in fuel crisis, Labor urged
State and territory leaders are meeting to thrash out ideas to curb the ongoing fuel crisis as the Middle East conflict rages on.
Work from home measures could be put in place but fuel rationing is not on the cards, as state and territory leaders prepare to meet to coordinate a national response to the ongoing fuel crisis.
National cabinet is convening to discuss the Middle East fuel crunch for a second time on Monday morning as federal parliament has its final sitting week before the budget.
“The best way to get through this is to get through it together, to work through these issues in a coordinated and ideally consistent way around the country,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers told ABC TV.
“The best way to avoid the kind of harsher COVID-style measures is to do that work.”
The treasurer said rationing was not yet necessary as shipments were arriving, but added the government was open to support “voluntary” work from home measures to save fuel.
“If everybody does their bit and if we manage this well, we hope to avoid those kinds of outcomes,” Chalmers said.
He did not rule out a reduction to the fuel excise on Monday after the opposition last Friday called for a halving of the tax to provide relief to consumers.
“Our plan is all about securing more supply,” Chalmers told Sky News.
“It’s about getting distribution, particularly to regional areas. It’s about cracking down on rip-offs and it’s also about helping with the cost of living in other ways.”
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has urged an immediate halving of the fuel excise which currently sits at 52.6 cents per litre.
NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookey has not said whether his government will back calls to cut the federal fuel excise, although it did rule out free public transport for Sydney on Sunday.
“If Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cuts the fuel excuse temporarily, that would make a big difference to motorists in NSW, I’m sure,” he told 2GB Radio.
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“I think it’s going to be up to the federal government, obviously, to respond to that, it is their tax ultimately.”
The government’s emergency legislation to boost fuel stocks will be introduced to parliament on Monday.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen called it a vital intervention to help Australians secure petrol, diesel and crude oil shipments that showed the government was “one step ahead” of the crisis.
Australia’s fuel stocks remain at normal levels, but fears of future shortages and price spikes caused by the ongoing blockage of the Strait of Hormuz have spurred users to bulk-buy petrol and diesel, leading to localised shortfalls.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli accused the federal government of withholding information from the Australian people.
“I won’t stand for Australians not getting the information they need,” he said in a speech on Sunday.
“We’re asking Canberra to release information about prices and outages at a specific time each day, for every state and territory: a national dashboard.”
Victoria and Tasmania have announced temporary fare waivers for public transport users, which prompted the Greens to urge the Commonwealth to help fund other states to make their networks free.
“Free public transport must be on the agenda at tomorrow’s national cabinet meeting,” Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
Opposition industry spokesman Andrew Hastie broke ranks with his Liberal colleagues on Sunday, saying he was open-minded about a windfall profits tax.
-with AAP
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