Source : the age
The Coalition has once again asked if additional shipments of oil have been delayed or cancelled since the last update on Monday, and the government has once again said they have not.
The question was taken by Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who said “the answer is no”, before saying more replacement cargoes could be expected soon.
“There is a massive impact on the global supply chain of oil and petrol. As we have been saying all through March, our job is to secure as best we can the supply of fuel in those circumstances,” Bowen said.
“That’s exactly what we’ve done. And we have, we have provided information on that transparently each and every day.”
And that’s where we’ll leave today’s live coverage. Thanks for joining us.
While spruiking the government’s changes to unfair trading practices – including moves to make it easier to get out of subscriptions – Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino has thrown a quick barb at his opposition.
Speaking at the dispatch box, Mulino said:
There are many products that deliver little or no value subscriptions: news sites that you only use once; ongoing charges for apps that your kids downloaded; or membership of the Liberal Party.”
Before he could get to the next sentence, manager of opposition business Dan Tehan rose to make a point of order. As he stood up to speak, Labor MPs could be seen miming reeling in a fishing line as they laughed.
Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie has asked a question seeming to link the cancellation of an international trip by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to potential fuel shortages in the coming months.
Here’s what Hastie asked:
Yesterday, the minister for climate change and energy said, ‘The truth is, all the ships are arriving.’ But there are reports today [that] government ministers have canceled travel and events in April.
Has the government received advice of any additional fuel ships bound for Australia that have been delayed or cancelled?”
Albanese denied the assertion, saying:
If he’s referring to what was a proposed trip by myself for Anzac Day in Gallipoli on April 25. Yes, because of the circumstances of travel to Turkey at the moment, obviously I have cancelled it.
I’ve prioritised what we are dealing with at the moment, engaging with our regional partners. That’s responsible and the right thing to do.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government has “not made any decisions” regarding gambling advertising reforms first reported in this masthead earlier today.
A raft of possible measures, including a cap on the volume of gambling ads shown on television and a longer blackout for sports ads around sporting matches, are expected to be announced soon.
“I think that we need to get absolutely the balance right between people’s right to have a punt and the view that I have, which is that it is too prevalent,” Albanese said.
“People, particularly young people, should be able to watch sport and not see a link between sport, necessarily, and gambling … we need to delink those issues.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to assure motorists that Australia’s fuel supply is secure, repeating a number of statements he made earlier this week.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor asked Albanese for updated information on delays or cancellations of fuel carriers bound for Australia.
Albanese said: “The advice that I gave to parliament on Monday was correct. Every single ship that was due to arrive here in March arrived. That is just a fact”.
He repeated that six of 81 ships bound for Australia in April were cancelled, but had been replaced by a surplus of three ships. He also said that additional fuel was being made available because of changes to standards.
“A range of further discussions will take place over future days, including over Easter. We’ll continue to engage with our partners. We’re a reliable supplier of energy security around our region. We expect that to be reciprocated.”
Question time has begun with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor asking Prime Minister Anthony Albanese what has changed overnight that has triggered an “address to the nation” this evening, which Taylor described as an “emergency” message.
This was Albanese’s reply:
Nothing has changed since yesterday, neither this government’s resolve to deal with issues of supply and cost of living, or the opposition’s approach to these issues.
Every single shipload of fuel that was due to come here in March arrived on schedule. That is absolutely true. And what is required at times like this is to be considered. To be orderly.”
Question time has begun in the House of Representatives.
Watch live below.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to announce soon a long-delayed crackdown on gambling advertising aimed at breaking the link between children and sports wagering.
Albanese has been under pressure from the opposition, independents and a wide range of civil society groups to overhaul wagering laws in response to an influential report from late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
What Labor’s gambling reforms will likely do
- Cap the number of ads that can be broadcast on TV
- Increase the blackout period for sports ads around sporting matches
- Require social media and streaming services to allow parents and children to opt out of gambling content
- Phase-in a gambling ban in stadiums and on jerseys
- Restrict gambling ads around school pick-up times
More than 1000 days on from Murphy’s report, Labor’s reluctance to tackle the issue had turned into a totemic debate on Albanese’s willingness to take on powerful stakeholders in the name of social reform.
Several sources familiar with the government’s plans, unable to speak about them publicly, said Albanese had shifted and was set to announce a suite of policies, and that Communications Minister Anika Wells had made progress on the reform in recent weeks.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has told the states to “get their skates on” and come to an agreement on how to channel GST windfalls from the rising cost of petrol.
“We are doing our bit with the fuel excise and in other ways, and we need the states and territories to do their bit as well, in addition to some of the good developments we’ve seen in areas like Victoria and Tasmania when it comes to public transport fares, but we’re doing our bit, and we need them to do their bit,” Chalmers said.
Premiers and chief ministers on Monday agreed to not bank the GST windfall from inflated petrol prices, but did not come to an agreement on how it should be returned to taxpayers.
“Now, when the they signed up to this at the national cabinet, the prime minister did a good job making sure that the states and territories signed up to this commitment. We recognized that they needed to work out the best ways to deliver that relief,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver an “address to the nation” this evening at 7pm (AEDT) in which he will outline the government’s response to the war in the Middle East and encourage Australians to save fuel to support struggling industries.
The address will be simultaneously broadcast across all television and radio networks.
Similar addresses have been delivered during the COVID pandemic and the global financial crisis.
