JENI O’DOWD: Why Australians don’t trust the Government to handle the fuel crisis

Do you ever listen to a politician and wonder if they’re living in the same country as the rest of us?

That was my reaction listening to Anthony Albanese say panic buying fuel “was not the Australian way”, while Australians were filling jerry cans because they’re not convinced help is coming any time soon.

Because the fuel crisis isn’t really about panic buying. It’s about trust, and right now, that’s running lower than your average petrol bowser.

Maybe panic buying isn’t ideal (most of us are still scarred by the lack of toilet paper during the COVID crisis). But it’s also not irrational.

Australia holds less than 40 days of petrol and roughly a month of diesel and jet fuel onshore, well below what’s considered a safe reserve.

For people who rely on their car to earn a living, that’s frightening. Trying to get ahead of that risk is common sense.

What feels un-Australian is telling people not to worry while taking weeks to offer any real relief at the bowser.

What feels worse is lifting the Coalition’s idea in its entirety and not even acknowledging it.

What feels out of touch is telling people to cut back on non-essential trips and take public transport.

Seriously, Mr Albanese? Most people have already been doing exactly that for weeks because the cost of petrol and diesel is through the roof.

And because the Government took so long to make a decision about cutting the fuel excise, the benefits won’t flow through until after Easter — the one time of the year many families enjoy a break.

And it’s not like we can all go out and buy an electric car — even if we could afford one. Australia doesn’t have the charging infrastructure and for most people living in an apartment, there aren’t even home charging ports.

Public charging networks remain uneven, particularly outside major cities, and long-distance electric travel still comes with a level of planning and uncertainty that petrol drivers don’t face.

The fact is, there are only about 900 fast-charging sites around Australia, about 2100 fast and ultra-fast plugs and about 7000 public charging plugs.

Plus, it costs up to $3300 to install an EV charging station in your garage, and for millions of Australians living in apartments, that is not even an option.

This is why you only ever hear the Government talk favourably about electric cars in a policy sense, but not during any crisis over fuel. That would be like promoting a new phone while knowing there aren’t enough chargers to use it.

So where’s the plan to dramatically boost the number of public charging ports?

Australians aren’t asking for miracles, simply for leadership that doesn’t move at a snail’s pace.

What the fuel problem really exposes is not a policy delay, but a leadership problem.

I don’t think anyone in the world isn’t aware that global events are pushing up fuel prices. But what Australians don’t accept is being told to simply absorb it while they wait for help to arrive.

Because this was when the Government was supposed to step in. Not weeks later, not after the pressure builds, and not after the Opposition has already set the agenda.

It’s not like it was complicated. Prices were rising rapidly. Households were feeling it immediately. Small businesses, tradies, delivery drivers and anyone who relies on their car to earn a living saw their costs rise by the day.

For many of us, fuel isn’t a choice. It’s just part of getting through the day. It’s how we get our food and other essential items.

You can’t simply cut it out or dial it back without it hitting something else: work, school, basic life.

Because the frustration isn’t just about petrol prices. It’s about a growing sense that the Government simply does not understand the level of pain people are suffering.

You can see it in the rise of protest votes, the tone of public debate and the fall in the Prime Minister’s approval rating.

In this case, strength of leadership during a crisis separates the men from the boys. It shapes how voters judge whether a government understands the problem, and whether it’s capable of responding to it.

Right now, that’s the test. And increasingly, it’s one the Government is failing.