Shadow Minister Criticizes PM’s Address to the Nation
The criticism of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent address to the nation continues to grow. Shadow Minister for Energy, Dan Tehan, expressed his disappointment during an interview on ABC Radio:
"He might as well have told us what he was going to have for dinner last night. There was nothing new in it. He didn’t take the Australian people into his confidence.
He made no commitments to transparency.… there was no commitment from the prime minister to tell us whether ships have been cancelled, whether they’re being delayed, what our stock holdings are at the moment, where the shortages are, how many service stations are out of fuel, what they’re doing to make sure they’re getting fuel to those service stations — nothing.
And yet the Australian people are worried. They’re deeply concerned. They have no idea about what is happening. And yet all we get from the Prime Minister is political messaging, which he’d been instructed to do. And he said this in the parliament yesterday by his federal director, and no reassurances whatsoever by the Australian people. I think everyone was just flabbergasted."
In related developments, Australia will participate in an upcoming virtual meeting concerning the Straits of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for oil and gas currently blocked by Iran, confirmed Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
"We will be participating in that. It’ll be a virtual meeting as I understand the next 24 hours and the foreign minister will be representing Australia at that meeting.
It follows on from Australia signing up to the UK-led statement… all of those countries and very much Australia have an interest in seeing the Straits of Hormuz opened as soon as possible. We will look to what Australia can do."
Deputy Prime Minister Defends PM’s Address
Richard Marles defended the Prime Minister’s approach of urging Australians to continue with their daily lives during the fuel crisis. Speaking on ABC Radio, he said:
"I think people are trying to come to terms with what all of this means and what they should be doing in this moment. I think that’s particularly the case as we head into the Easter weekend."
Calls for Increased Gas Drilling to Secure Supply
When asked about the Resources Minister’s efforts to secure gas for domestic users, Angus Taylor emphasized the need for increased gas production. He stated:
"I’ve always believed that we need to make sure that Australian gas is working hard for Australians.
But I also believe that the best way to achieve that is more drilling and more gas coming from under the ground. …we keep putting Band-Aids on bullet wounds across our economy whether it’s in gas whether it’s dealing with inflation or interest rates. What we need to do is solve the underlying problem – as I said upfront: we do need to make sure Australian gas is working hard for Australians but the best way to do that is to make sure gas is coming out from under the ground. In existing well-established basins, drilling can convert to more gas production quickly. It doesn’t take long, but we do need to make sure that we don’t get ourselves in this position again."
Opposition Leader Critiques PM’s National Address
Opposition leader Angus Taylor described the Prime Minister’s address as unnecessary and lacking substance. Speaking to ABC Radio, Taylor remarked:
"At a time when Australians are wondering whether they can get away on their Easter holidays … what they need is confidence. They need clarity, not confusion. And last night’s address didn’t help. It could have been a social media post."
Resources Minister Issues Notice to Gas Producers
Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King has formally issued a notice to gas producers, urging them to supply more gas domestically or face export restrictions. Speaking on ABC Radio, King explained the rationale behind this action, which addresses a potential shortfall in the east coast market, noting that Western Australia and the Northern Territory are well supplied.
"Yesterday I issued that notice of intent under the Australian domestic gas security measurement mechanism for the months of July, August and September. And that is based on the report of the ACCC … that forecasts – it’s a relatively small shortfall, … but the issue for me is that we are going into winter, and at a time when we see this international conflict in the Middle East causing disruption to supply.
What this does is brings all the exporters to the table to prove that they will make sure that shortfall doesn’t come to pass … What’s really important is we don’t want to repeat of 2022 when we didn’t have these tools available to us when there was a gas shortage."
Western Australia Fishing Ban Challenged in Court
A controversial fishing ban in Western Australia, which has restricted access to popular fish species, is being challenged in court. The ban has significantly reduced catch limits for demersal species such as pink snapper, red emperor, and dhufish along much of the state’s coastline, including a permanent commercial ban over a large area.
Trawling companies have contested restrictions that have prohibited their commercial operations off the Pilbara region since January. The decision by WA Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis was reportedly made without departmental recommendation or consultation beyond existing legislation.
In the Supreme Court in Perth, lawyer Eric Heenan argued:
"The order made by the minister was unreasonable and a disproportionate use of power.
The order cannot stand. The evidence will show the minister acted without any scientific assessment of the Pilbara fishery.
Jarvis had acted hastily while under pressure from conservationists due to the demersal species stock situation in a large recreational fishery adjacent to Perth.
Heenan argued the minister was 'obsessed' with dolphin by-catch from trawling, and the ban was 'influenced by political considerations' and made 'no economic sense', he said."
Public and Media Reaction to Albanese’s Address
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined a select group of Australian leaders to deliver a televised address to the nation, aiming to reassure the public amid concerns over fuel shortages. However, the response has been largely muted.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor told 7News that the Prime Minister failed to provide sufficient detail regarding fuel reserves and called for greater transparency.
"There has consistently been a lack of detail, but also a lack of a plan," Taylor said on Wednesday night. "We know we’ve got a problem with 600 servos, we also know that the government keeps telling us there’s more than enough stock and so we need clarity on this. We need a plan to go with that."
Some newspapers were more direct in their criticism. Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported widespread negative reactions from Australians online, describing the address as a waste of time. The Nine Network published a more measured opinion piece, suggesting the Prime Minister’s message was underwhelming.
For full coverage, readers can access the complete story on Albanese’s address and view the address in full.
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the breaking stories before Natasha May takes the helm.
Anthony Albanese is set to attempt to allay public fears over dwindling fuel supplies, pledging to keep petrol prices down by securing international supplies and increasing local production.
He will appear at the , where he will announce new interest-free loans for businesses most affected by fuel shortages and declining consumer confidence.
The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has criticized the Prime Minister’s response to the crisis, calling for more clarity.
