15m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:44pm
Australia supports sentiment of Strait of Hormuz joint statement: Bowen
Chris Bowen has been asked if Australia was asked to sign onto a joint statement released overnight by the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Japan and Canada on the Strait of Hormuz.
The countries expressed their “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” through the Hormuz Strait.
“We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” the statement said.
The energy minister says the government agrees with the sentiment that Iran should stop its statements.
“Certainly the sentiment that we want to see this situation in the Middle East sorted and that Iran has a responsibility is one that we support,” Bowen says.
22m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:38pmBowen leaves door open to new levy on gas companies amid Middle East war
Labor is exploring options to impose a new tax on gas companies to collect windfall profits made during the Middle East war.
The government is also seeking advice on whether to make changes to the Petroleum Resources Rent Tax, or PRRT.
Asked whether he can confirm the government is considering making the changes, Energy Minister Chris Bowen doesn’t rule it out.
“The budget is delivered in May not in March,” Bowen says.
“I don’t comment on cabinet processes,” he says.
31m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:29pm
Australia not considering rationing fuel at this stage, Bowen says
Chris Bowen says the federal government is not considering rationing fuel yet, and that Australia is not close to that scenario.
He says the government has the power to act if the nation’s fuel supplies are severely disrupted.
The energy minister has repeated that Australians shouldn’t buy more fuel than they need.
“The important message for Australians is that the supply is not being disrupted at this point,” Bowen says.
“What we’re dealing with is a very big increase in demand, which is understandable with what people are watching on television, but our message to Australians remains buy as much fuel as you need. Not more, not less,” he says.
35m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:24pmBowen ‘won’t hesitate’ to release more fuel from emergency stockpile if needed
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the federal government won’t hesitate to release more fuel from the national emergency stockpile if it has to.
Australia is releasing about six days’ worth of petrol from its emergency stockpile and five days’ worth of diesel following a request from the International Energy Agency.
It’s the first use of its fuel reserves since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The energy minister says the government is working with industry to ensure Australia’s two fuel refineries are working at “full pelt”.
“We will release more of the strategic fuel reserve if we have to, but only if we have to. It’s there for a rainy day. I’ve released 20 per cent to help with the demand, the big spike in demand,” Bowen says.
“If I’m satisfied that releasing that strategic reserve is necessary to ensure supply to Australians, I won’t hesitate,” he says.
42m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:18pm
Bowen says contingencies are being drawn up if Middle East war continues
The energy minister has been asked what the federal government’s plan is when fuel supplies become more uncertain in May.
Chris Bowen says Australia will face more uncertainty beyond late April if the war in the Middle East continues.
He says that while no action is required to secure supply now, the government is considering contingencies should the war continue.
“We’re not in a situation where we need to contemplate further measures just now, but we should be contemplating what we might need to do should things worsen,” Bowen says.
48m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:11pm
Chris Bowen says refineries announcement follows six months of negotiation
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has just stepped up for a press conference in Brisbane to give more details about that announcement.
The energy minister says the government made the decision to continue subsidising the refineries following six months of negotiation.
Bowen says the government is determined to keep the two remaining refineries open.
“We want to see the already allocated budgeted funds flow to Ampol in difficult times, to ensure that they can continue to be viable operations,” Bowen says.
“It would have been better if we’d entered this with six working refineries, which is what the Labor Party left in 2013. But we enter this international crisis with two,” he says.
53m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:07pmAustralia’s two remaining oil refineries to continue to be subsidised by government
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced the federal government will continue to subsidise Australia’s only two remaining oil refineries.
Viva’s refinery in Geelong and Ampol’s in Brisbane produce about 20 per cent of the country’s fuel requirements, refining 12 billion litres of petrol, diesel and jet fuel every year.
Changes to the Fuel Security Services Payment, which pays refineries during times when prices don’t cover costs, will be extended.
Bowen has today announced that while the payment to the refineries will remain the same at 1.8 cents per litre, the trigger for the payments will be moved to make them kick in at a lower threshold.
“This payment is an important insurance policy that provides payments to refiners, when prices don’t cover the costs of production,” a statement on the announcement said.
The importance of the two sites has been highlighted by the ongoing international fuel crisis.
Both refineries have made commitments to keep operating into the next decade.
1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 10:16pm
Disaster funding arrangements in place for LGAs hit by Tropical Cyclone Narelle
As you may have seen, Tropical Cyclone Narelle has started crossing the Far North Queensland coast this morning.
The category four system is crossing the coast between Lockhart River and Coen, north of Cooktown.
Kristy McBain says National Emergency Management Agency officials are embedded in Queensland and the NT to assist recovery efforts.
Speaking to Sky News, the emergency management minister says the government has already enacted disaster funding arrangements.
“We’ve already enacted a range of support payments for primary producers and small businesses,” McBain says.
“And we believe that this will probably extend even further after we see what Tropical Cyclone Narelle has to offer in Queensland and Northern Territory,” she says.
For more on Tropical Cyclone Narelle, head over to our live blog in the link below.
2h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 9:46pm📹 Albanese, Burke heckled at Eid prayers at Lakemba Mosque
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke have been booed and heckled at a mosque in Western Sydney.
They were taking part in Eid prayers when a group of men stood up and started booing the PM and Burke over the war in Gaza.
Worshippers could be heard shouting “genocide supporters”, “get them out of here” and “go home” before Albanese was led out of the mosque.
Loading…2h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 9:10pmEnergy minister downplays warning from Malaysia on fuel shipments
The Australian Financial Review is reporting that Malaysia, one of Australia’s top crude suppliers, has warned that shipments to Australia could be interrupted if the Middle East war continues.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says Malaysia’s statement is broad and doesn’t indicate that it is taking any particular action.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Bowen says the government is speaking to all its partners across Asia at various levels.
“The Malaysian government has taken no action to threaten the supply of fuel to Australia, and all the ships that we’ve expected to arrive have arrived. But we continue to engage with them,” Bowen says.
2h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 9:03pm’If demand is double, the supply chain will struggle’: Bowen
The energy minister has urged Australians against panic buying fuel, saying it will place pressure on the supply chain.
Chris Bowen says the market is continuing to see “very high demand” from people stocking up on fuel after the outbreak of war.
He says while the federal government can’t guarantee the international situation, it will try and adapt to changing circumstances.
“Panic buying isn’t necessary. In fact, it worsens the situation and not helps for everyone,” Bowen says.
“If demand is double, the supply chain will struggle,” he says.
3h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 8:55pmPercentage of service stations without fuel in the low single digits: Bowen
The percentage of petrol stations in Australia with low or no fuel is in the low single digits, according to Energy Minister Chris Bowen.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, the energy minister says that percentage doesn’t mean it’s not a problem for communities.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not a real crisis and a real challenge for those people who are having trouble getting fuel in rural and regional areas,” Bowen says.
Bowen says fuel shipments have arrived in Australia as expected and that the shortages in regional Australia have been driven by high demand.
3h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 8:44pm
Bowen doesn’t rule out new tax on gas giants to help shield from war impacts
Chris Bowen hasn’t ruled out imposing a new tax on gas giants to try and shield Australians from the economic shock of the Middle East war.
The prime minister’s department has asked Treasury to model “new levy options” as a means of taxing windfall gas company profits.
Asked whether Labor will pursue the taxes, the energy minister has told ABC Radio National Breakfast he won’t outline the state of the budget.
“Budget day is in May, Sally [Radio National Breakfast presenter], and the treasurer will announce the budget,” Bowen says.
“The treasurer has always made clear that tax reform is on the government’s agenda and he’s considering the way to maximise the efficient collection of tax in Australia,” he says.
3h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 8:36pm
Fuel supply situation beyond April unpredictable if war continues, Butler says
Health Minister Mark Butler and Deputy Liberal Leader Jane Hume have stepped up for their regular Friday morning spot on Channel Seven.
The health minister has been quizzed on fuel supplies, and he says all fuel shipments to Australia have arrived as expected since the conflict began.
A fuel supply taskforce has been set up to oversee the distribution of fuel across parts of Australia with shortages.
Butler says there are ships on the way to Australia that will provide the country fuel for the rest of March and into April.
“Beyond that, no one anywhere in the world really can predict exactly the position that the world is going to be in, in terms of fuel supply,” Butler says.
Hume says she’s not sure Australians have confidence in the way Energy Minister Chris Bowen has handled the situation.
She says the establishment of a fuel supply taskforce wouldn’t have been necessary if Bowen was more proactive.
“I reckon the first thing that Chris Bowen could do here is potentially quit his job over in the UN putting together climate change conferences and negotiations, because we need a full time energy minister on the job,” Hume says.
3h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 8:20pm
Exclusive: PM’s office requests modelling for gas, coal tax to shield Australia from war impact
The prime minister’s department has requested options to impose a new tax on gas giants, the ABC can reveal, as the government tries to shield Australians from the economic shock of the Middle East war.
A document prepared by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), seen by the ABC, asked Treasury to model “new levy options” as a means of taxing windfall gas company profits — a policy the government has so far resisted.
It also asked Treasury to work up options for further reform of the Petroleum Resources Rent Tax (PRRT), and “reforms to corporate income tax” ahead of the May budget, as ways to collect more revenue for Australians.
Read the full exclusive story from political reporter Isobel Roe in the link below.
3h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 8:16pm
Rooftop solar and home batteries behind forecast fall in power bills
Australians’ use of rooftop solar and home batteries is partly why power bills are forecast to come down in some states.
The Australian Energy Regulator’s draft default market offer for the next financial year indicates prices will drop in New South Wales, southeast Queensland and South Australia.
The Grattan Institute’s program director of energy and climate change Alison Reeve says batteries are helping to deliver cheaper energy.
“What’s happening is that the batteries are taking over that market and they’re able to supply energy more cheaply than what the gas is,” Reeve says.
“So that’s actually a really positive story. And if we can keep that up, what that actually means is that over time we’re going to see, probably see, prices moderate quite a lot and we’ll start breaking that link to international conflicts,” she says.
3h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 8:09pm
Good morning 👋
Hello and welcome to our daily federal politics live blog! It’s great to have to have you here with us this Friday morning!
I’m Josh Boscaini joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today’s federal politics news.
The PM’s department has requested options to impose a new tax on gas giants, the ABC can reveal, as the government tries to shield Australians from the economic shock of the Middle East war. We’ll bring you more on that story shortly.
Meanwhile, last night on 7.30, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Esmaeil Baghaei said that Australia’s military assets in the Gulf may become a target, and that Iran would not distinguish between countries acting in an aggressive or defensive capacity.
Australia has sent a Wedgetail aircraft to the United Arab Emirates to support defensive operations against Iranian strikes.
And for all our politics enthusiasts here … South Australia is heading to the polls tomorrow in a state election that opinion polling suggests will deliver a landslide victory for Labor.
Let’s get right into the day!
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