{"id":561945,"date":"2026-03-24T21:45:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/561945\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T21:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:45:12","slug":"federal-politics-live-labor-says-it-is-way-too-soon-to-talk-about-fuel-rationing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/561945\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal politics live: Labor says it is ‘way too soon’ to talk about fuel rationing"},"content":{"rendered":"

17m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 9:26pm<\/p>\n

Emergency $40 fuel price cap idea sourced from 2019 document\"Samantha<\/p>\n

A government document floating the idea of rationing fuel by imposing a $40 price cap for motorists was last revised in 2019.<\/p>\n

Former South Australian senator Rex Patrick says he sourced the document using Freedom of Information laws, which lays out a series of possible policy responses to emergency fuel shortages.<\/p>\n

In that document, seen by the ABC, one suggestion included a scenario where petrol stations could authorise a $40 limit on all pumps.<\/p>\n

Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne, Patrick says the document was last revised in 2019 \u2014 before the Middle East war broke out.<\/p>\n

“The document that I got \u2014\u00a0 although it was the most recent document, and I got it in late 2024 \u2014 it’s actually a version of the document, version 1.3, that is was put together in 2000 or last varied in 2019,” he says.<\/p>\n

“So the $40 limit may not be what the government’s thinking.”<\/p>\n

39m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 9:04pm<\/p>\n

Angus Taylor to acknowledge need for tax change\"Clare<\/p>\n

Opposition leader Angus Taylor says restoring confidence in the nation’s economy will require tax reform and changes to regulations.<\/p>\n

In his speech to the Business Council of Australia, Taylor will acknowledge the need for tax changes, saying there are “good ideas on reforming income tax, company tax and payroll tax”.<\/p>\n

He will say the business community also has good insights into how to “cut back on red, green, and white tape,” described as “the bureaucratic bottlenecks, the carbon taxes, and the reams of paperwork”.<\/p>\n

“A key reason for our weak productivity growth is that we have overbearing regulators,” he will say.<\/p>\n

“Don’t get me wrong \u2014 we have regulators for good reasons. But under Labor, we’ve seen the emergence of regulator quangos.”<\/p>\n

46m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 8:57pm<\/p>\n

Taylor’s ‘lost decade’ warning\"Clare<\/p>\n

Australia risks a “lost decade” that would wipe the equivalent of about $35,000 per person out of the national income on current productivity trends, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor is warning.<\/p>\n

In a speech to the Business Council of Australia on Wednesday, Taylor will outline what he sees as the three imperatives to get the economy back on track.<\/p>\n

This includes tackling over regulation, beating inflation and getting energy prices down.<\/p>\n

“Inflation is just another form of taxation for every Australian, every family, and every business,” he will say.<\/p>\n

“The more government spends, the more prices inflate, the more Australians pay.”<\/p>\n

He will take aim at the latest forecasts for productivity growth revealed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers last week.<\/p>\n

Taylor will say if the downgraded long-term assumption growth of 1.2 per cent continued “indefinitely” it will take until 2032 for productivity to return to the level when Labor won government.<\/p>\n

“That would be more than a lost decade of productivity under Labor. A lost decade that would mean $35,000 of lost national income for every man, woman and child in Australia,” he will say.<\/p>\n

59m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 8:45pm<\/p>\n

Farrell urges cattle industry to get on board with EU trade deal\"Courtney<\/p>\n

After almost a decade of protracted negotiations, Australia has agreed to a new free trade agreement with the European Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But while the government is celebrating it as a win-win, some sectors aren’t as happy about the deal. Cattle Australia, for example, has called the agreement “simply appalling”.<\/p>\n

Trade Minister Don Farrell urged the red meat sector to get on board.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got an 800 per cent increase in our access to the European market as a result of this agreement,” he told ABC’s Radio National Breakfast.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“If the Europeans had made this offer to me … last time we had formal negotiations then we would have accepted it … then.<\/p>\n

“I’m asking the cattle industry to come onboard. This is a vital moment for them.”<\/p>\n

He wouldn’t accept criticism\u00a0because beef producers weren’t\u00a0 made aware of the cattle export numbers. Farrell said the industry was told “at the earliest opportunity” on Tuesday after negotiations took place on Monday.<\/p>\n

Farrell adds if Australia can’t demonstrate that we’re capable of negotiating free and fair trade agreements, “then we’ve got a big problem in this country”.<\/p>\n

1h agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 8:31pm<\/p>\n

Waste collectors warn bin services may stop if diesel not found urgently\"Jake<\/p>\n

Waste collectors are warning that bin services may be reduced, leading to rubbish pile-ups, as the sector struggles to secure diesel supplies.<\/p>\n

The sector also warns rubbish collectors are operating at a loss because of diesel prices, putting some on the brink of collapse unless councils are willing to pass on costs to home owners.<\/p>\n

The industry says it is a matter of days or weeks before services are affected, but the sector has been left off the “priority fuel user” list, ensuring essential services have access to diesel.<\/p>\n

1h agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 8:20pm<\/p>\n

Fuel rationing plan not being considered: Watt\"Courtney<\/p>\n

Labor frontbencher Murray Watt also downplayed reports that the government is considering a $40 cap on petrol motorists could buy.<\/p>\n

The plan, which was developed back in 2019 and released through a Freedom of Information request, was reported in the News Corp papers this morning.<\/p>\n

Watt says the government is not considering the proposal.<\/p>\n

“We continue to encourage all Australians to only use the fuel that they need. We know that there are some pretty severe disruptions to supply in some parts of the country,” he told Nine.<\/p>\n

Watt adds that a cut to the fuel excise is also not being considered at this time.<\/p>\n

1h agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 8:17pm<\/p>\n

‘Way too soon’ for Australia to consider fuel rationing: Clare\"Courtney<\/p>\n

Labor frontbencher Jason Clare says it’s “way too soon” for Australia to be discussing fuel rationing as the war in the Middle East continues to disrupt supply.<\/p>\n

A report in the News Corp papers outlined a plan \u2014 developed back in 2019 and released under Freedom of Information \u2014 for petrol pumps to cut off when motorists hit a certain price point.<\/p>\n

Clare tells ABC’s News Breakfast that it’s too soon to be talking about it.<\/p>\n

“This secret plan is a plan that’s been around since 2006. I think it was originally set up under John Howard, and sets out the different sorts of contingency measures that the government would take if needed.<\/p>\n

“We’re not there yet.”<\/p>\n

He says releasing fuel from the national reserve and relaxing petrol and diesel standards are actions the government is focused on.<\/p>\n

1h agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 8:15pm<\/p>\n

Economists split on benefits of EU free trade deal\"Sara<\/p>\n

While the National Farmers Federation slammed the $10bn trade deal as “the worst ever”, economist Tim Harcourt says “protectionist impulses” and tariffs imposed by the US and China have led the federal government to rethink what was once an unacceptable offer from Europe.<\/p>\n

“You’d probably say it’s a pragmatic deal. But look, in a perfect world, or a world that was a little more peaceful, you probably wouldn’t have signed it,” he said.<\/p>\n

Citing red meat exporters as the biggest losers, Harcourt pointed to “wins” for winemakers, seafood and dairy producers, critical minerals and defence.<\/p>\n

Economist Hazel Moir says exports are just one aspect of a free trade deal.<\/p>\n

“No trade economist looking at a trade treaty focuses on the exports side of it. The export side is the win for European consumers. The import side is the win for consumers in Australia,” she said.<\/p>\n

Regarding red meat exports \u2014 capped at 35,600 tonnes of beef, and 25,000 tonnes of lamb \u2014Trade Minister Don Farrell said Australia would get a “second crack” at negotiating volumes in five years.<\/p>\n

Moir said it “takes two” to renegotiate.<\/p>\n

“So unless there’s something we have to offer that the Europeans really want, I think the red meat industry is quite right to say this agreement is going to last for a very long time,” she said.<\/p>\n

1h agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 7:57pm<\/p>\n

Tony Burke admits luck saved lives in Perth Australia Day incident\"Stephen<\/p>\n

The home affairs minister has declared that Australia was “so lucky” to avoid mass casualties during an alleged attempted pipe bomb attack in Perth on January 26, while suggesting the nation has been slow to recognise the gravity of the act.<\/p>\n

Tony Burke also warned against “ignorant” arguments that capping immigration would reduce the threat of extremism or terrorism, saying online radicalisation now presents one of the most pressing dangers to the nation.<\/p>\n

Burke made the warnings during a keynote address to the National Security College’s Securing our Future conference, in which he laid out some of the sharpest threats posed by extremists.<\/p>\n

Read the full story at the link below.<\/p>\n

1h agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 7:51pm<\/p>\n

Good morning \ud83d\udc4b\"Courtney<\/p>\n

Hi pals. Welcome to our daily federal politics live blog.<\/p>\n

I’m\u00a0Courtney Gould\u00a0joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra and ready to guide you through the day.<\/p>\n

The Coalition is continuing its pressure on the government over fuel supplies as the war in the Middle East drives a price spike.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a little birdie has told me Trade Minister\u00a0Don Farrell will be doing the media rounds this morning after Australia agreed to a trade pact with the EU yesterday.<\/p>\n

We’ve got another sitting day ahead of us. So let’s just jump right in, hey?<\/p>\n

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