Australia to Receive 6 Tankers of Jet Fuel From China Ahead of Easter Flight Period

Australians planning flights during the Easter holiday period in April may not need to cancel their flights yet after the government announced six shipments of jet fuel are due to arrive in the coming days.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed on March 27 the cargo was coming from China and other international suppliers, with further updates expected over the weekend.

“While Australia’s fuel supply outlook remains secure over the near term due to the actions that the government’s taken to date, the longer this war goes on, the greater the impact will be,” Albanese said.

Bowen said supplies of petrol, diesel, and oil were expected to hold steady in the coming weeks, supported by additional orders placed with international suppliers.

He said decisions that would typically take much longer had been fast-tracked.

“Things that would normally take 18 months, I’ve done it three or four days. It does show a level of urgency—an appropriate level of urgency—on price,” he said.

“Our key focus is supply so that Australians can get access.”

The announcement comes a day after Bowen revealed about 500 petrol stations across the country had run dry on one or more types of fuel. Australia has 6,646 petrol stations.

Opposition Pushes For Fuel Excise Tax Cut

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has called on the government to halve the fuel excise, arguing it would provide immediate cost-of-living relief.

He said in a letter to the Prime Minister that the measure would reduce prices by about 26 cents a litre and proposed halving the road user charge to ease transport costs flowing through to food and other goods.

“We need affordable fuel in this country. We need secure fuel in this country, and we need it as fast as possible,” Taylor told reporters on March 27.

Taylor also questioned the distribution of fuel, noting widespread shortages despite claims of adequate supply.

“Move the fuel if their stocks are as the energy minister says, move the fuel to those stations,” he said.

Nationals leader Matt Canavan backed the call, saying households were already under pressure before the current crisis.

Lessons From Pandemic Response: PM

Albanese said the government’s approach is focused on coordination, drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“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,” he said.

He stressed the need for a nationally coordinated response across, with ongoing engagement between governments, agencies, and industry to manage the crisis effectively.

The government has appointed a national coordinator and is working across jurisdictions to ensure consistent action, aiming to avoid fragmented responses seen during the pandemic.

A national cabinet set to meet on April 30 to further assess the fuel crisis.