Key Points
- The country's fuel supply is under pressure amid the war in the Middle East.
- Greens senator Peter Whish-Willson said it "feels like it's a similar crisis" to the COVID pandemic.
A Greens Senator has called on politicians to consider whether parliament should return to COVID-style operations amid fuel strains due to the war in the Middle East.
The parliamentary week is wrapping up on Thursday evening, with senators and MPs flying back to their home states before returning on Monday for another scheduled week.
As more than 500 petrol stations run dry of at least one type of fuel, the national cabinet will reconvene next week to decide the next steps.
Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson has questioned whether the country's fuel should be used to transport back thousands of workers to Canberra.
He said reverting to operations used during the COVID-19 pandemic — during which politicians had systems installed to work from home, give speeches and hear chamber voting — would demonstrate the seriousness of the crisis.
"Maybe we've got to do the same thing. We've got to demonstrate and lead by example and scale back parliaments like we did during COVID," he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.
"Feels like it's a similar crisis now, obviously different in many ways, but it's getting to a point where it's extremely concerning.
"And we need to lead by example and show the Australian people that if we can do it, you can do it too."
Last week, the International Energy Agency recommended Australians work from home where possible, and drive at slower speeds to limit oil demand during the Middle East conflict.
The government has stopped short of issuing the directive, with several frontbenchers, including Industry Minister Tim Ayres, stating that if working from home is viable, then Australians can make that call.
The Opposition, which campaigned to reduce working from home during the last election, hasn't given it the green light either.
Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume highlighted the impact that COVID-like restrictions would have on small businesses.
That hasn't stopped multiple countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam, from introducing a four-day working week to conserve fuel supply.
Request for PM to fund free public transport
Among the recommendations from the IEA were calls for Australians to consider public transport.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr is considering seeking federal funding to support free public transport.
It follows state politicians voting down a Liberal motion to introduce 50-cent public transport fares to combat rising fuel costs on Wednesday.
Diesel has reached $3 a litre for most capital cities, except Darwin, while the price of unleaded petrol has soared above $2.40 at a number of locations.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union urged the NSW state government to consider either reducing public transport fares or temporarily removing them.
It follows a similar call by the Victorian Greens, who demanded the Allan government make public transport free in the state for a month.
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