{"id":591148,"date":"2026-04-07T11:51:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T11:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/591148\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T11:51:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T11:51:15","slug":"albanese-government-issues-emergency-order-for-truckers-amid-fuel-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/591148\/","title":{"rendered":"Albanese government issues \u2018emergency\u2019 order for truckers amid fuel crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EliasSave<\/p>\n

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n

Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n

Save this article for later<\/p>\n

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n

Got it<\/p>\n

AAA<\/p>\n

The Albanese government has declared that spiralling fuel costs represent an emergency for the trucking industry in a draft order, paving the way for the Fair Work Commission to force companies throughout the economy to pay more for moving their goods.<\/p>\n

Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth issued the draft determination late on Tuesday, giving just over 24 hours for people to provide feedback, in a rushed move ahead of a Fair Work hearing on the potential pay orders that begins on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\"PayPay increases to trucking companies could reverberate through an economy already dealing with stubborn inflation.Louise Kennerley<\/p>\n

With the average bowser price of diesel stubbornly above $3 a litre, any orders granted by the commission to force big business to pay more for moving goods could grant relief to truck drivers but put more pressure on already stubborn inflation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rishworth\u2019s draft order would grant emergency status to an application by the Transport Workers\u2019 Union (TWU) and Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation for the commission to force retailers, manufacturers and mining companies to conduct weekly reviews of fuel prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If prices go up beyond the contracted price, the company sending the goods would have to cover the cost, as opposed to small truck and logistics operators.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hereby determine that the application is an emergency application,\u201d Rishworth\u2019s draft order states, citing the \u201csignificant reduction in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rishworth said on Tuesday evening that she would consider evidence before making a final decision. \u201cI am committed to providing any other parties who wish to comment, an opportunity to provide feedback on my proposed determination.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

But feedback is open only until 8pm AEST on Wednesday. The commission will begin its hearing on the union and industry association\u2019s request that morning.<\/p>\n

Rishworth said the commission \u201cis still required to genuinely engage with the parties in determining the application\u201d.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Experts<\/a><\/p>\n

Some companies such as Woolworths and Australia Post have already increased their fuel levies to help drivers cover the increasing cost of staying on the road.<\/p>\n

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine welcomed news of the draft emergency determination. \u201cThis quick action towards an emergency declaration by the workplace relations minister is an encouraging sign to the transport industry and a recognition of the urgency around this fuel crisis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Speaking of broader orders that the unions are seeking, Kaine said that \u201cdrivers who have been in this industry for decades have never seen it this hard\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is critical that we see fuel costs paid for by the top of the supply chain \u2013 the retailers, manufacturers and mining giants that are already increasing costs for customers, while truck drivers and businesses are struggling to hold on,\u201d Kaine said.<\/p>\n

Editor’s pick\"At<\/a><\/p>\n

Peter Anderson, the industry association\u2019s national secretary, said that while some companies were doing the right thing and increasing what they paid in fuel relief to the transport companies they use, \u201cthere are far too many still refusing to pay their fair share\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransport businesses small and large are weeks away from shutting up shop, if they haven\u2019t already. We urgently need to see clients putting in place weekly fuel reviews to keep national supply chains running sustainably, and businesses in operation,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

At a previous hearing on the union and association\u2019s request, several groups raised concerns. Brent Ferguson, representing the Australian Industry Group, National Road Transport Association, South Australian Road Transport Association and Bega Group, said that \u201cthere isn\u2019t a clear one-size-fits-all approach\u201d to fixing the issue and that contracts varied widely.<\/p>\n

Last week, FWC president Adam Hatcher issued a statement saying that while \u201cinitial steps\u201d could be expedited as far as practicable, an urgent issuing of any orders was \u201cultimately dependent upon the minister determining that the application has emergency status\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Save<\/p>\n

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n

Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n

\"EliasElias Visontay<\/a> is a National Consumer Affairs Reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":591149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":{"0":"post-591148","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/591149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}