Key Points
- Fuel excise cut by 50% for three months
- US President hints at military action on Iranian island
- Jannik Sinner takes Miami Open title, securing Sunshine Double
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TRANSCRIPT
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the fuel excise will be halved for three months, in response to rising prices driven by the global oil shock that has been triggered by conflict in the Middle East.
A National Fuel Security Plan has also adopted by state and territory leaders after a National Cabinet meeting, a framework that will include reducing the Heavy Vehicle Road User Charge to zero for three months, a move aimed at lowering fuel costs for trucks delivering essential goods.
Despite the new measures, Mr Albanese has again urged people not to panic, saying Australia's fuel supply remains secure.
He says halving the fuel excise - a tax on petrol or diesel that flows through to most motorists - will cut fuel costs by 26.3 cents per litre.
"We're making fuel cheaper today because we understand that Australians are under serious pressure. However, we really also want to encourage Australians who can to take public transport to help save fuel for the areas and industries that need it. And I note, a couple of the jurisdictions have taken action to reduce public transport fares as well. The less fuel we use in the cities, obviously the more we can direct to regional areas that are under pressure."
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The federal government has introduced legislation that will allow the government to underwrite fuel suppliers seeking stock from across the world to import to Australia.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the measure addresses a rising risk premium for fuel suppliers, amid price vollatility and threats to supply chains.
He has called it a vital intervention, and says it showed the government was "one step ahead" of the energy crisis.
"The longer this war goes on, the more severe the impacts will be. This global crisis continues to present new national challenges which is why we'll continue to take new national actions. Today, we take the next step to ensure Australia remains prepared."
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he wants more certainty from the United States and Israel about their war objectives in the Middle East.
He has suggested the objective of preventing Iran gaining a nuclear weapon has been achieved, and its military position substantially degraded.
Mr Albanese also argues regime change has historically been extremely difficult to impose from the outside.
"Because military action against a nation will tend to promote nationalism within that nation. So I would like to see the Iranian regime, that I regard as abhorrent and reprehensible, replaced. So I think that clearly, whether that is going to occur or not is something that I think needs to be outlined."
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United States President Donald Trump says there is a possibility the U-S will attempt to seize Kharg Island - a critical piece of Iranian infrastructure used to export oil in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States has been amassing thousands of troops in the Middle East, raising the prospect of a ground invasion, as the conflict continues to push up global oil prices.
In an interview with The Financial Times, Mr Trump has also floated the prospect of attempting to seize Iranian oil supplies, saying that is his "favourite thing".
Speaking later on Air Force One, he also claimed talks with Iran are progressing well, saying a deal could be reached fairly quickly.
"But you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them, and then we always have to blow them up, whether it's a B-2 bombers or just terminating, as an example, the Iran nuclear deal done by Barack Hussein Obama, probably the worst deal we've ever done as a country, one of the dumbest deals we've ever done. But I terminated it and fortunately, otherwise, right now they'd have a nuclear weapon. And we did the attack with the B-2 bombers, and we stopped them from having nuclear, and now we had to blow them up again. And we will, probably I think we'll make a deal with them."
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Victoria's Police Commissioner has defended the officers involved in a fatal shooting in Victoria's northeast - with the deceased believed to be fugitive Dezi Freeman.
Police had accused Freeman of killing two police officers during an standoff near the town of Porepunkah in August last year, which sparked a massive manhunt involving hundreds of people.
A formal identification has not been made, but the shooting occurred in connection with the search for Freeman, who has been on the run for more than six months.
Commissioner Mike Bush says police tried to arrest the suspect peacefully.
“There will be a Professional Standards Command and a coroner's hearing into this matter. Everything I know at this point tells me that this shooting was justified. As I said, the operation was conducted by professionals from Victoria Police."
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To sport and in tennis, Jannik Sinner has claimed a 6-4 6-4 victory over Jiri Lehecka to capture the Miami Open title and complete the so-called Sunshine Double.
The last male player to complete the double - winning Indian Wells followed by Miami in the same season - was Roger Federer in 2017.
At 24 years of age, Sinner has now become the eighth male to run the table at Indian Wells and Miami - and he says he's happy to take the coveted trophy home.
“And making here (for) the first time, the ‘Sunshine Double’ – it’s incredible. It’s something I would have never thought (possible), you know, because it is so so difficult to achieve. And yeah, we made it somehow, so I’m very happy.”
