Welcome to our live coverage of Australia’s fuel crisis.
Anthony Albanese has dismissed “speculation” over what, exactly, will trigger stage three of the four-phase National Fuel Security Plan: fuel rationing.
The ABC earlier reported that government modelling suggested rationing would come into effect if Australia’s national diesel stockpile dropped to 10 days’ supply. At present, we have 30 days’ worth of diesel and jet fuel in reserve, respectively, and 39 days’ worth of petrol.
Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne’s Raf Epstein, however, the Prime Minister said rationing is not under consideration to tackle Australia’s fuel supply shortages.
“That’s the ABC going on – you’ll see lots of speculation,” Mr Albanese told Epstein, adding his government was doing “everything we can to keep supply”.
“What we do, the National Cabinet, will go through all of these processes in an orderly way.”
It comes after Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayres repeatedly clashed with host Laura Jayes over the government’s fuel excise cut announcement.
During an appearance on Sky News this morning, Mr Ayres was grilled by Jayes, who put to him that halving the excise was “a good political decision, (but) I can’t find an economist that thinks it’s a good idea”.
“Well, look, it’s the right thing for families, Laura,” he responded, before a heated back-end-forth ensued.
Read on for more updates