Albanese

Prime minister says the middle of a global fuel crisis is ‘the worst possible time to jeopardise’ Australia’s partnerships with Asian trading partnersThe prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has confirmed next month’s federal budget will not include a new tax on existing gas export contracts as he criticised the “populist” campaign calling for a levy on producers.As reported last week, Albanese was poised to reject pressure to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports amid concerns the intervention could alienate the same Asian trading partners Australia is relying on for supplies of diesel and petrol. Continue reading...

One Nation outperforms the Coalition for the first time, while the rightwing populist party’s leader has a positive rating among all age groupsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA majority of surveyed Australians approve of Pauline Hanson’s leadership of One Nation, giving her a higher job approval rating than Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor, as the Guardian Essential poll finds the rightwing populist party is outperforming the Coalition for the first time.The results come as Australians are becoming more pessimistic about the country and the economy, with the majority of respondents saying they expected things to get worse in coming months. Continue reading...

Government’s draft news bargaining incentive scheme includes 2.25% levy on local revenues of digital giantsAnthony Albanese has urged Google, Meta and TikTok to make deals with Australian media outlets to avoid a dedicated 2.25% levy on local revenues, warning digital giants should not be able to exploit the work of journalists to boost profits.Releasing an exposure draft for the government’s news bargaining incentive (NBI) scheme on Tuesday, the prime minister said platforms who sign new deals with publishers to pay for news content would receive offsets of between 150% to 170% from the new levy. Continue reading...

David Pocock says prime minister – who is trying to shore up fuel supplies – is parroting industry talking pointsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor is poised to reject a growing push for a new 25% tax on gas exports in next month’s budget, prompting David Pocock to accuse the government of “caving in” to the gas industry.It’s understood the government has elected not to pursue a new tax on gas exports in the budget, prompted in part by the global oil crisis and Anthony Albanese’s diplomatic efforts in shoring up fuel supply from Asian allies by pledging reliable access to liquefied natural gas. Continue reading...

NSW housing and homelessness minister says Bikram Lama’s death shows the ‘gaps’ that people without residency can fall throughGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFederal and state housing ministers have described the death of a young homeless man in Sydney’s Hyde Park as “beyond tragic” and say it reinforces the need to stop vulnerable rough sleepers from falling through the cracks.Bikram Lama, 32, was found dead on 7 December last year near the entrance to St James tunnel where he had been sleeping rough. Continue reading...

PM to update state and territory leaders and is weighing options to increase oil refining in Australia. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories. Nick Visser will take the reins shortly.Anthony Albanese will convene the national cabinet again in coming days to discuss the fuel crisis, he told the ABC’s 7.30 program last night, as the government considers options to boost domestic fuel refining capacity. Continue reading...

The prime minister has weathered the crises – for now – and there is a growing recognition that Australia is too vulnerable to world eventsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese’s fuel diplomacy tour of Asia has already started paying dividends, but the real test could still be to come.After last week’s rush to Singapore and pulling forward a planned visit, the prime minister dashed back to Australia from Malaysia on Thursday, to survey the damage at one of the nation’s only remaining fuel refineries. The hastily arranged trips, were to show a leader on the job; to demonstrate Albanese’s attention to the fuel crisis. Continue reading...

Prime minister says Corio refinery fire will not push Australia into stage 3 restrictions, despite reduced production of petrol, diesel and aviation fuelFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese says petrol production has fallen 40% at one of Australia’s two remaining oil refineries but the damage caused by the fire at the Geelong facility will not lead to fuel restrictions.The prime minister spoke outside the Viva Energy refinery – which had been supplying about half of Victoria’s fuel before a massive fire burned for 13 hours until noon Thursday – on Friday morning, and said the facility was also producing less diesel and aviation fuel. Continue reading...

Prime minister cuts fuel security visit to Malaysia short. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn extra 250,000 tonnes of agricultural-grade urea for fertiliser will come to Australia from Indonesia, under a new deal supported by the federal government.That’s around 20% of the fertiliser needed for the current planting season for Australian farmers, according to the Albanese government.This deal also shows why it’s critically important that we have strong relationships with our regional partners.While this is a commercial deal, the Australian and Indonesian Governments have been working to support this positive outcome … This will mean Australia can continue to play an important role supporting food security in Indonesia and our region at a time of global uncertainty. Continue reading...

After Singapore last week, the PM visits supplier of 9% of Australia’s diesel as treasurer travels to Washington for G20 finance ministers’ meetingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has arrived in Brunei Darussalam, the first Australian prime minister to fly to the oil-rich country for a meeting with the sultan, where he’ll discuss fuel supplies with the world’s longest serving monarch, Andrew Greene has reported from the travelling media pool.Arriving in Bandar Seri Begawan yesterday for his second trip to Asia in a week, Albanese was officially welcomed on the tarmac before making his way to the Brunei Darussalam-Australia memorial to lay a wreath. Continue reading...

Australian prime minister says it’s ‘disappointing’ that there was no resolution on freedom of movement during weekend’s talksFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese says peace negotiations to end the growing Middle East war should resume quickly, as Australia called for the full reopening of the strait of Hormuz and free navigation for all countries.Hours after the US president, Donald Trump, said he would institute an American blockade of the strategic waterway from Tuesday morning, Australian time, Albanese urged Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations in Pakistan. Continue reading...

PM tells Guardian Australia Hezbollah should cease reprisals and confirms Australia’s military surveillance aircraft will remain in regionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has urged Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon and raised concern over its intensified military campaign on Beirut and the country’s south after the ceasefire in the Middle East.Albanese also called on Hezbollah to cease attacks on Israel, reiterating his government’s belief that the Middle East ceasefire must include Lebanon. The prime minister also confirmed Australia’s military surveillance aircraft would remain in the region for at least another month beyond its initial deployment. Continue reading...

Catherine King says while peace talks were ‘best chance’ at lowering fuel prices, further help may be included in budgetFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesTrack Australia’s fuel prices, service station outages and shipments in chartsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government is contemplating further relief for struggling households and businesses in next month’s federal budget, as peace talks continue between the US and Iran amid a fragile ceasefire.The infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said the success of those talks was the “best chance” at bringing down fuel prices. But she warned there would be a “long tail” from the crisis even if the strait of Hormuz – which was still being blocked by Iran and strangling global oil supplies – reopened imminently. Continue reading...

Having received assurances from Singapore over refined fuels, diesel supply will surely be next on the prime minister’s agendaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese isn’t coming back from Singapore with a shipload of diesel in his checked baggage. That doesn’t mean his whistle-stop visit wasn’t a success, or that it won’t be seen in future as a pivotal moment if fuel stocks continue to be choked by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.The government never expected that the quick whip to Singapore, with just one full day on the ground, would elicit a new supply of petrol or diesel. Singapore already supplies 55% of Australia’s unleaded, 22% of jet fuel and 15% of diesel. Continue reading...

Australia and Singapore will ‘make maximum efforts to meet each other’s energy security needs’ in refined fuels and LNG, according to new agreementGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s largest petrol source has pledged not to cut supplies, with Singapore’s prime minister telling Anthony Albanese that fuel will keep flowing despite the international crisis.Albanese’s whistle-stop visit with his Singaporean counterpart, Lawrence Wong, culminated in a new agreement that the two countries would keep sending one another fuel and liquefied natural gas, amid the “acute energy crisis” caused by the war in the Middle East. Australia and Singapore will also add a legally binding addendum to their free trade agreement on essential supplies like energy. Continue reading...

Prime minister touches down and says two countries ‘strategically aligned’. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA search for a fisherman who disappeared in waters off Coffs Harbour has been suspended, police said last night.Emergency services were called to Emerald Beach, Coffs Harbour, on Monday following reports that a 32-year-old man had been washed off rocks while fishing.There’s been substantial damage in the Gulf and that will have consequences for a period of at least months ahead. Continue reading...

The prime minister will hold talks with his opposite number to shore fuel suppliesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPenny Wong says the US-Iran ceasefire is fragile but must hold for the sake of the world economy and energy markets.Speaking on ABC’s 7.30, the foreign minister said there were obvious differences between the two parties but the potential downsides to the truce failing meant it was imperative that it worked.This ceasefire is fragile, there’s no doubt about that. The ceasefire is fragile but the world does need it to hold. There are obviously substantial points of difference between the parties. But I think we all know that the damage that is happening to the global economy, to global energy markets, means that the world does need this ceasefire to hold.And you know, I spoke early on to Singapore, to Korea, to Malaysia, the Prime Minister, as you said, is going to Singapore, we’ve seen one announcement already and we will continue to work with them. I spoke to the Japanese foreign minister just before this interview, we want to keep engaging with our counterparts, because this is a very large shock to global energy markets, and one that will continue to have an effect.I can understand people being really concerned about what is happening on global markets and what has happened in the Middle East, and the way this has escalated, which is why we have been saying for some time, it’s time for de-escalation. Continue reading...

The prime minister clearly believed that Trump’s threat of mass bombings of bridges and power plants crossed a new lineGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has adopted a careful and deliberate strategy for dealing with Donald Trump since his return to the White House in early 2025: don’t buy-in, don’t bite back.The approach is a calculation that there is little to be gained from responding to Trump’s every Truth Social post, lest it distract the government, provoke the president or, heaven forbid, threaten the Aukus pact. Continue reading...

Chris Bowen says Australians should ‘not get ahead of ourselves’ by expecting prices to fallFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTrack current petrol and diesel prices across AustraliaPetrol prices are rising again and diesel wholesale prices have hit new record highs as the government warns the US ceasefire with Iran will not make fuel cheaper.The average unleaded prices at service stations rose in some cities on Wednesday for the first time since late March, as fuel tankers hiked their charges. Continue reading...

Australian PM also welcomes a conditional two-week ceasefire deal that will reopen the strait of Hormuz to global shippingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has welcomed a two-week ceasefire deal between the US and Iran that is set to temporarily reopen the strait of Hormuz, as he issued a rare criticism of Donald Trump for threatening a “whole civilization will die”.The prime minister said news of the conditional ceasefire was “very positive” and was hopeful it would lead to the permanent end to a conflict that has sent global fuel prices soaring. Continue reading...

Prime minister brings forward trip to Singapore in scramble for petrol supplies; former soldier charged with five war crime murders. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe prime minister has spoken to Chinese premier, Li Qiang, over the phone to discuss energy security, as the government moves to secure fuel supplies with nations across Asia.Anthony Albanese confirmed on Tuesday he would be flying to Singapore this week to lock in fuel imports. Continue reading...

Petrol prices have stopped falling, despite the federal government’s cut to the fuel excise last weekTrack Australia’s fuel prices, service station outages and shipments in chartsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese will fly to Singapore this week – Australia’s biggest source of petrol – as the government mounts an international bid to keep fuel prices from rising.Diesel is getting more expensive again and petrol prices have stopped falling, despite the federal government’s cut to fuel excise last week. Continue reading...

Federal government chases supply guarantees from countries including Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan amid Iran warGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAsian trading partners have reassured Australia that the “normal supply” of fuel will continue amid the Middle East conflict, as the government prepares to intensify efforts to avert shortages of petrol and diesel.The federal government has been chasing supply guarantees from countries including Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan as the Iran war and closure of the strait of Hormuz wreaks havoc on the global oil market. Continue reading...

Prime minister urges Australians to consider using public transport and conserve fuel for ‘critical industry’ and othersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian prime minister Anthony Albanese has used a rare address to the nation to attempt to allay public fears over dwindling fuel supplies, vowing to keep petrol prices down by shoring up international supplies and ramping up local production.But the opposition has been scathing of the address, describing it as “nothing but hot air” and urging more clarity over the fuel crisis. Continue reading...

Prime minister says months ahead ‘may not be easy’ and urges Australians to ‘think of others in your community, in the bush and in critical industries’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMy fellow Australians.By nature, we’re an optimistic country. But I understand that right now it’s hard to be positive. Continue reading...

The US president thumbs his nose at concerns about the most serious energy crisis in global history. But Australia, like other countries, is paying a high priceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGently, about 10 days ago, Anthony Albanese tried to send Donald Trump a message about the escalating war in Iran.In a Hobart radio interview, the prime minister said the US had achieved its original justifications and should bring hostilities in the Middle East to an end. Continue reading...

Injecting $1.5bn via petrol subsidies into an inflated economy may change things for the Reserve Bank board at its next meetingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEconomists will say that what millions of motorists gain in cheaper fuel through the prime minister’s three-month fuel excise cut, they will lose in more expensive mortgages.It may be good politics, but injecting $1.5bn via petrol subsidies into an economy that is already struggling with a resurgent inflationary problem is not going to make the Reserve Bank of Australia’s job any easier. Continue reading...

More assistance to businesses amid ballooning petrol prices expected to be discussed as prime minister and premiers meet. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning, Krishani Dhanji with you here for the final sitting week of the month, and the final sitting week before the budget.The prime minister will convene the national cabinet again today, the second since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. And this morning the government will introduce legislation to underwrite fuel supplies into Australia. Continue reading...