PM calls national cabinet meeting over fuel crisis – as it happened

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What we learned: Wednesday 18 March

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here are the day’s main stories:

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, calls a snap national cabinet meeting over fuel crisis, saying the economic shock caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran was like the Covid pandemic or Ukraine invasion.

Albanese also revealed on Wednesday that an Australian airbase near Dubai had been hit by an Iranian projectile about 9.50am, causing a small fire but not injuring any Australian personnel.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the war in the Middle East could do significant damage to the Australian economy, with new Treasury figures showing persistent energy shock would see GDP 0.6% lower in 2027, with effects lasting until at least 2029. That could slash $16.5bn from the national economy by next year.

Chalmers sought to downplay the risk of recession, however, despite a warning issued by the Reserve Bank.

Donald Trump has listed Australia among the allies he is bitterly disappointed with for not wanting to get involved with his war against Iran, saying in a social media post overnight that the US “has been informed by most of our Nato ‘allies’ that they don’t want to get involved … despite the fact that almost every country strongly agreed with what we are doing”.

The Albanese government has suffered a major legal blow against its monitoring of a group of noncitizens after the high court ruled this morning its ankle monitoring and curfew regime were invalid.

Radio host Kyle Sandilands says his ARN contract – reportedly worth $100m – has been terminated – but he ‘doesn’t accept it’.

The Bureau of Meteorology says Tropical Cyclone Narelle could reach category 5 status on its approach to the coastline, as the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, says it could be the biggest cyclone in living memory.

We will see you here again for more news tomorrow.

Updated at 04.09 EDT

Josh Butler

European Commission president to visit Australia amid hopes of trade deal breakthrough

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will visit Australia next week, with a scheduled meeting with Anthony Albanese raising hopes that a long-awaited EU trade deal may finally be struck.

Von der Leyen will visit Australia from 23 to 25 March, including meeting prime minister Albanese on the 24th. She will travel with the EU commissioner for trade and economic security, Maroš Šefčovič.

Government sources wouldn’t say if the long-delayed free trade deal between the EU and Australia, which has twice fallen over in late stages of negotiating, was finally locked in – but one source said they were interpreting von der Leyen’s visit as a good sign along the negotiations.

Albanese’s office said Australia and the European Union had a shared commitment to democratic values, security and trade, and that the two leaders would discuss strengthening their relationship.

“Australia and Europe are friends and partners, working together to advance peace, security and economic prosperity,” Albanese said in a statement.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Photograph: Pascal Bastien/APShare

Updated at 02.20 EDT

War in Middle East could wipe $16.5bn from Australian economy: ChalmersTom McIlroy

Jim Chalmers says the war in the Middle East could do significant damage to the Australian economy, likening the shock to the global financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and major trade tensions.

Chalmers has released new Treasury figures which show a persistent energy shock from a long lasting Iran war would see GDP 0.6% lower in 2027, with effects lasting until at least 2029.

That could slash $16.5bn from the national economy by 2027.

The treasurer warned the prospect of “inflation peaking in the high fours or even higher this year is very real.”

Chalmers says even with conservative assumptions, Treasury’s latest advice is the war could cut Australia’s GDP growth by up to 0.2 percentage points across our major trading partners. He said:

double quotation markThese effects add a further quarter of a percentage point to headline inflation and double the negative impact on GDP.

Headline inflation would peak three-quarters of a percentage point higher in the short term scenario and 1¼ percentage point higher in the prolonged one.

At the weekend, Chalmers said the government expected inflation to rise beyond 4.5% in Australia, up from 3.8%.

It means the prospect of inflation peaking in the high 4s or even higher this year is very real.

Updated at 02.21 EDT

Benita Kolovos

Greens and Liberal integrity bill passes Victorian upper house but expected to get shot down in lower house

The Coalition opposition and the Greens in Victoria have banded together to pass a bill in the upper house that would give the state’s anti-corruption watchdog “follow the money” powers to combat corruption in the construction union.

The power would allow the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (Ibac) to investigate corrupt conduct by third parties and private subcontractors connected to government funding.

It follows the release of a report by corruption fighter Geoffrey Watson SC last month, which included allegations that corruption involving the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) cost taxpayers up to $15bn.

The bill also increases transparency by better enabling the agency to conduct more public hearings.

It will now move to the lower house, where it is expected to be voted down, given Labor has a commanding majority.

Updated at 02.26 EDT

Bruce Lehrmann trial date set in Queensland

The former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been set a trial date to face rape charges, more than five years after the alleged offences, AAP reports.

Lehrmann, 30, was not required to appear in Queensland District Court at Toowoomba on Wednesday when a trial date of 2 November was set by Judge Deborah Richards.

Defence solicitor Zali Burrows was asked if Lehrmann would seek a jury trial or a trial before a judge alone.

“It may be (before a jury). Mr Lehrmann is still deciding,” Burrows said.

Lehrmann is accused of raping a woman twice during the morning of 10 October 2021 after a night out in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

He was charged in January 2023 and committed in July 2024 to stand trial after hearings in Toowoomba magistrates court into the reliability of the alleged victim’s evidence.

Lehrmann and the woman met during the previous night at a Toowoomba strip club.

She told police she and Lehrmann discussed their political beliefs before catching a taxi to his friend’s house, having consensual sex and consuming cocaine about 4am.

The woman said she was woken about 10am by Lehrmann sexually assaulting her.

Lehrmann, who is on bail, has yet to formally enter a plea but previously indicated he would contest the charges.

Updated at 02.27 EDT

Penry Buckley

Speaking in favour of the motion, the Greens justice spokesperson, Sue Higginson, told NSW parliament today:

“It seems pretty clear that the Minns Labor government doesn’t like what the Sackar review says, which I imagine is what all the other expert advice says, that their draconian law and order, anti-democratic approach to criminal law is ineffective.”

Labor backbencher Stephen Lawrence, said he was looking forward to reading the report if it becomes public.

“With most types of criminal conduct, it often occurs at a pretty static level in the community, [it] is almost immune to to the different levels of the criminal law. But that’s not always the case … sometimes we do need new laws.”

The shadow attorney general, Damien Tudehope, who has been leading calls for the government to release the report, expressed surprise that Lawrence, a criminal barrister, had not been given access to the report:

“What is in this report that they don’t want anyone to see, and especially they don’t want to people like Stephen Lawrence to see it, because if he sees it, there might there might be all hell to pay in relation to the laws that we have been introducing … ?”

SharePenry Buckley

NSW crossbenchers seek to force government to release secret report on hate speech

Crossbenchers in NSW have mounted an attempt to compel the Minns government to release a secret report on controversial hate speech protections which it has been sitting on for months.

The report was commissioned after the introduction of a controversial offence for inciting hatred on the grounds of race, against Law Reform Commission advice that it would “introduce imprecision and subjectivity into the criminal law”.

The six-month review, authored by former supreme court justice John Sackar, was asked to look into expanding the offence to cover religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Since the report was tabled in November, the Minns government has faced questions at press conferences about why it has not been released amid increasing speculation about what it contains.

Yesterday, the premier, Chris Minns, said the report was still with cabinet, refusing to comment on its content. “I don’t want the report released before we’ve made a decision in relation to it, so it’s not something that we’re brushing under the carpet,” he said.

But this afternoon, the NSW upper house passed a unanimous motion brought by the Greens under a procedure known as Standing Order 52 (SO52), which requires the executive government to release documents. The government did not oppose the motion, but may argue that the report is “confidential in cabinet” and should not be released.

Updated at 01.41 EDT

House prices could cool off thanks to back-to-back interest rate hikes, experts sayLuca Ittimani

House prices could cool off as interest rate hikes put mortgages out of reach for hopeful homebuyers, industry voices say.

Yesterday’s rate hike took the typical mortgage rate to about 6%, from about 5.5% at the start of the year according to Canstar.

Someone on the average full-time wage of $106,950 can now borrow about $535,000, close to $25,000 less than the would have been able to borrow back in January, Canstar has found. Their borrowing capacity would fall to just over $520,000 if rates are hiked again in May, as the big four banks predict.

Cara Haynes, a Loan Market broker, said hopeful homebuyers had already started to step away from the market and sit tight after February’s interest rate rise. Haynes said:

“Some people are holding off to see what happens with the economy. At the same time, there is a decrease in competition, meaning those still looking tend to find their property faster than even the start of the year.”

Cotality’s head of research, Gerard Burg, said the hike could push more people to compete for the cheaper segment of the market but would likely continue to cool off growth in house prices overall. Property website Domain has predicted home prices would not go backwards, just grow at a slower pace.

Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare

Updated at 01.49 EDT

‘Now we have one economic shock after another’

Chalmers also said the budget would seek to strike a balance between driving down inflation and reducing cost of living pressures.

He said this had become more difficult for governments given ongoing uncertainty with the economy.

double quotation markIt used to be we’d have long periods of calm punctuated by economic shocks, now we have one economic shock after another.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers at Parliament House. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare

Updated at 01.38 EDT

Chalmers says government may explore extending lifespan of two oil refineries

Jim Chalmers is also asked about petrol prices, and general cost of living pressures, given the Reserve Bank announced another interest rate hike on Tuesday.

He says fuel rationing is “not something we’re anticipating, not something we’re expecting to have to do”, but said it was possible the government would explore extending the lifespan of two remaining oil refineries which were set to close in Australia next year.

double quotation markThese refineries, we had six …two is not a lot, and … you need to have resiliences in the system, I think a lot of countries are discovering that.

Updated at 01.31 EDT

Chalmers says budget will include ‘tough decisions’ to tackle inflation

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says a number of different contingencies are being modelled ahead of the May budget given uncertainty caused by the war in Iran.

Chalmers told the ABC that there were two scenarios that had already been considered, and a third based on “more concerning” developments after the bombing of Iran would also be completed.

He said the budget would include “tough decisions” to tackle inflation.

Updated at 01.39 EDT

One person dies in boat accident off Tasmania

A person has died and two more had to be pulled from the water after a boat “struck difficulty” off Marion Bay, Tasmanian police said.

In a statement, police said:

double quotation markInitial investigations indicate four people were on the boat when it struck difficulty, with three of the party entering the water.

Two people were helped to safety by members of another boat in the area who answered the call for help.

A third person remained unaccounted for but sadly, has since been found deceased.

Police investigations are continuing.

Updated at 01.12 EDT

Graham Readfearn

Tropical Cyclone Narelle expected to make landfall as category 4 system

As we said earlier, the Bureau of Meteorology will be making regular updates to it’s track map for Tropical Cyclone Narelle as it heads towards the Far North Queensland coast.

In a new forecast, senior meteorologist Jonathan How said the cyclone was expected to make landfall near the town of Coen on Friday morning as a category 4 system.

After that, the system is likely to hold it’s cyclone status as it reaches the waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria where it will likely intensify from a category 1 to a category 3 before making a second landfall on Saturday night.

How said it will likely loose its wind speed and become a tropical low as it keeps moving west, but could drop significant rain over the Top End – a region where the ground is already saturated with some areas such as Katherine and Daly River still in recovery mode from floods.

What happens after that is more uncertain, How said, but there is one scenario where the system leaves the land and re-intensifies into a cyclone and makes a third landfall in Western Australia early next week.

The bureau is due to issue a new track map before 5pm Queensland time today.

Updated at 01.06 EDT

Krishani Dhanji

Greens sound alarm over reports DV call service handed confidential counselling files to accused offenders

The Greens have raised alarm over a report in news.com that the government funded, privately run 1800RESPECT call service is handing out confidential client notes and complete audio recordings of victim counselling sessions which end up in the hands of accused offenders via subpoenas, according to freedom of information documents.

The newspaper found the service was subpoenaed at least once a week between June and August 2025, for private confidential client files including video and audio recordings. It is entitled to fight subpoenas but news.com said its investigation could find no record of 1800RESPECT having done this.

The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, said the department of social services has been warned about risks to privacy and other issues with 1800RESPECT for years, “yet the government increased funding to this referral service rather than to specialist frontline organisations”. She said:

double quotation markReaching out for help in the aftermath of family violence or sexual assault is one of the most difficult things to do. Seeking support should not be weaponised and no one should have to worry their private conversations will be given to their rapist or abuser.

“Victim-survivors must be able to access specialist counselling without fear. All states and the commonwealth should implement clear protections preventing sexual assault counselling files from being released.

Greens leader Larissa Waters. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

In a statement to Guardian Australia, 1800RESPECT said the safety and privacy of people affected by violence who contact the service “is of the highest priority”.

They said that since Telstra Health commenced delivery of the service on 1 July 2022, “there have been no cases where 1800RESPECT provided records to the courts in relation to a subpoena request for a criminal proceeding”. 1800RESPECT said:

double quotation markPeople seeking support can choose to contact 1800RESPECT via a channel that best suits their needs … and can also use a pseudonym to protect their identity. People are able to contact 1800RESPECT via phone and request that their call is not recorded (this can be done at any time during their call).

Updated at 00.51 EDT

Nick Visser

That’s all from me. Nino Bucci will take the reins from here. Take care.

ShareNSW moves to ban IRGC and Hizb ut-Tahrir symbols

People publicly displaying symbols associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a radical Islamist group could be imprisoned for two years, AAP reports.

Legislation introduced on Wednesday to NSW parliament expands bans on terrorist symbols to all prohibited organisation symbols, capturing those affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and recently outlawed hate group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Waving flags or wearing clothes with their insignia will be punishable with a prison sentence of up two years, a $22,000 fine, or both, and $110,000 for corporations.

NSW attorney general Michael Daley said the Labor-drafted bill follows in the federal government’s footsteps, aimed at holding extremists to account:

double quotation markThere is no place in NSW for hateful, extremist conduct.

NSW attorney general Michael Daley. Photograph: Bianca De Marchi/AAPShare

Updated at 00.22 EDT

Dan Jervis-Bardy

More on the Iranian projectile that hit near Australia’s headquarters at an airbase in the UAE

As reported earlier in the blog, an Iranian projectile hit near Australia’s headquarters at the Al Minhad airbase in the United Arab Emirates, damaging an accommodation block and a medical facility.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed that no Australian personnel were injured in the strike at 9.15am AEDT on Wednesday morning.

Albanese could not confirm if Iran directly targeted the Al Minhad base while maintaining Australia was not at war.

Australia has maintained a smaller force at Al Minhad airbase since the end of operations in Afghanistan. Defence last year said there were about 50 core ADF staff and a total of 70 to 80 Australians at the base at any time.

PM calls national cabinet meeting over fuel crisis – as it happened | Australia news

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