Anthony Albanese vows national response to fuel crisis will avoid mistakes of COVID lockdowns

Anthony Albanese has promised a national response to Australia’s fuel crisis will avoid the mistakes of COVID lockdowns — and hinted at temporarily halving petrol and diesel excise if it didn’t hurt EV drivers.

The Prime Minister’s National Cabinet with State premiers and Territory chief ministers is being held on Monday, with Mr Albanese signalling the need for consistency two days after Victoria’s Jacinta Allan called for a nationally uniform approach to dealing with service stations running out.

“A global crisis needs a national response and that is what we are doing,” the PM told reporters in Canberra on Friday.

“One of the lessons of the COVID pandemic is that we made a number of decisions as a nation that could have been made better if there was proper consideration.”

Mr Albanese suggested the Federal Government’s new Fuel Supply Taskforce Coordinator Anthea Harris — a former head of the Australian Energy Regulator — would lead a consistent approach on tackling the fuel shortage “to make sure that those lessons of COVID do not recur”.

In NSW, Australia’s most populated State, the number of service stations running out of at least one type of fuel on Friday rose to 347, up from 314 on Thursday, making up 14.4 per cent of the 2414 outlets registered with FuelCheck.

The number with no fuel at all grew to 59, up from 48, while the number out of diesel rose to 207, up from 178.

But when it came to the idea of halving the 52.6 cent a litre fuel excise, the PM appeared to reject the Coalition’s call, only because it was based on axing tax breaks for EV drivers on a salary sacrificing package.

This is despite the Federal Government already reviewing the costly Electric Car Discount that has, since July 2022, allowed employers to avoid paying the fringe benefits tax if they provide staff with an EV.

Like the 2025 election, the Coalition is continuing to call for an end to novated leases that allow those on a salary sacrificing package to claim running costs and financing as a tax deduction.

“They’ve called for cuts to EV support. I don’t think there’s anyone out there today who has bought an electric vehicle who’s regretting the decision at this point in time,” Mr Albanese said.

But Labor, which declined to extend the former Coalition government’s excise halving in 2022, hasn’t completely ruled relief out this time, with motorists now typically paying $2.50 a litre for unleaded, or a third more than they did before the US strikes in Iran in late February.

“Look, my government has always been strong on cost-of-living measures. We’ll continue to do so. We do so in a responsible way in the context of our Budget considerations,” Mr Albanese said.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and new Nationals leader Matt Canavan on Friday announced their call for a three-month 26.3-cent a litre reduction in excise, plus a similar-sized cut on truck charges, would lift some of the pain from drivers, at a budgeted cost of $1.5 billion.

“Today, I have written to the Prime Minister and I have called on the Government to slash the fuel excise, to halve the fuel excise for Australia,” Mr Taylor said at a Canberra 7-Eleven.

“That will mean 26c a litre off at the bowser for all hard-working Australians who need that relief right now.

“We need affordable fuel in this country, we need secure fuel in the country and we need it as fast as possible.”

The National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association is campaigning against the Coalition’s plan to fund excise relief with the axing of tax breaks for EV drivers.

“Any proposal to cut or reduce the EV Discount during the middle of a fuel crisis is irrational,” chief executive Rohan Martin said.

“It makes no sense to cut a policy that is helping Australians avoid petrol forever purely to fund a cut to the fuel excise which will last just three months.”

With Parliament not sitting on Friday, Energy Minister Chris Bowen declined to provide an update on the latest number of service stations without diesel or unleaded, based on State and Territory government data.

“No, it comes in later in the day,” he said.

Throughout the week, Mr Bowen had been reading updates in Parliament under questioning from the Opposition but his office wasn’t forthcoming with updated data on Friday.

“Just to add on service station data — that is collected by States. Every State has a regime in place. They share the information with me,” he said.

“I’ve been giving updates to the Parliament. That’s been a collation data collection from the States and Territories, which I’m grateful for.”

NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe on Friday announced she had issued formal notices to oil companies to “hand over all requested information” to determine if supply is likely to be significantly disrupted.

“We need a clear picture of the situation to best support people and communities as we navigate the challenges posed by this global conflict,” she said.

On the diplomatic front, the PM rejected a complaint from US President Donald Trump that Australia hadn’t been forthcoming with help, following its air strikes on Iran that have sparked the closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

“Again reiterate that there is no request being made to Australia that has not been agreed to,” Mr Albanese said.

“President Trump, it is up to him to explain his comments. But of course I make the point as well that Australia wasn’t consulted before this action was undertaken and I respect that. That’s a matter for the United States.”

Despite Australia sending E7 Wedgetail aircraft to help Gulf states under attack from Iran, President Trump complained Australia had done nothing in the Middle East.

“Australia was not great. I was a little surprised by Australia,” he told a lengthy cabinet meeting in Washington.

Crude oil prices were back at $US108 a barrel on Friday, after President Trump signalled a 10-day pause in striking Iran energy sites.

But Treasurer Jim Chalmers is warning of crude oil prices soaring to record-high levels of $US150 a barrel, after this month hinting at inflation climbing above 5 per cent in coming months for the first time in three years.

“Well, again, you’ve come at the key balance that we’re trying to strike here. And whether the barrel price of oil hangs around at $100, $120, $150 a barrel or even higher will effectively determine just how much that weighs on growth and how much it pushes up inflation,” Dr Chalmers told Alan Kohler’s That’s Business podcast on Friday.