By Holly Tregenza, ABC
Anthony Albanese has announced a four-point fuel action plan as well as a halving of the fuel excise.
Photo: ABC / Matt Roberts
The Australian government has halved the fuel excise on petrol and diesel for three months, reducing the cost of fuel by 26.3 cents per litre.
The heavy vehicle road user charge will also be reduced to zero for the same period to help truck drivers absorb the global fuel shock driven by the war in Iran.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement after a meeting of the national cabinet with state and territory leaders, which agreed to a four-point action plan for a coordinated approach to fuel supply.
Australia is already at the second point of escalation in the plan, “keep Australia moving”, having moved past “plan and prepare”.
Point three is “taking targeted action” and point four is “protecting critical services”.
“We do this in order to be completely transparent,” Albanese said.
“The plan outlines how to keep Australia open and how to keep our economy going,” he said.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor used a press conference before the meeting to outline his test for the national cabinet, saying it must address four key areas for greater fuel security and a clear path forward if the situation were to escalate.
His first demand was a national approach to getting fuel supplies where there were shortages.
Taylor also wanted greater transparency of fuel supply including real time data, backing in some premiers including Queensland’s David Crisafulli who were supportive of a national dashboard ahead of the meeting.
He said the national cabinet should move to slash the fuel excise tax, and release a plan of next steps, including being clear about trigger points if supply issues became acute.
“None of this is transparent from a government who has not been transparent in any stage along the way,” he said.
“We don’t want a lockdown-like environment for our country in the coming weeks and months, but if the government plans to do that, it needs to be up-front.”
– ABC