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US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the war against Iran is likely to end in a few weeks - and he expects that will be when skyrocketing oil prices go down.
Chris Wright has told NBC’s Meet the Press that there’s been a "short-term disruption" to the flow of energy.
He says he expects China to be a constructive partner in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"Americans are feeling it right now. Americans will feel it for a few more weeks. But at the end, we will have removed the greatest risk to global energy supplies. We'll go to a world more abundant in energy, more affordable in energy and less risky for American soldiers and commerce in the Middle East."
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New South Wales will convene a roundtable today on fuel in the state [[Mon 16 Mar]] as the war in the Middle East strains local supply chains.
Representatives from various industry groups, local councils, unions and consumer protection groups are expected to meet with government officials to discuss the way forward, amid reports that more regional petrol stations are running out of supplies.
Westlink Petroleum managing director Danny Kreutzer says fuel should have already been reserved for the regions.
Environment Minister Penny Sharpe says the roundtable will inform the future work of state and federal agencies.
"New South Wales is part of those emergency meetings and working closely with the Commonwealth. We think that this roundtable will give us some on the ground information we can feed into that process but also come up with other solutions that we might be able to take on our own."
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The Queensland government has hailed its newly established public sex offender registry as a resounding success.
Premier David Crisafulli says two people are facing charges for alleged breaches of the registry, while another seven who were not on the register have been identified, prompting fresh investigations by the Queensland Police Service.
The landmark register honours the legacy of Sunshine Coast schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, whose 2003 abduction and murder inspired two decades of advocacy for stronger child protection laws.
The Premier says the government is keeping its promise to deliver access to vital information that will improve child safety.
"In 75 days since going live, over 205,000 people have visited that website. Most of those people are checking around the kinds of people who are around their kids in their suburbs. I have this view that every parent has the right to know if there's someone around their kids that might make them unsafe."
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The Liberal Party has pre-selected Albury City councillor and community lawyer Raissa Butkowski to contest a by-election in the seat of Farrer in New South Wales.
The seat was held by former Liberal leader Sussan Ley from 2001 until she resigned in February this year.
Ms Butkowski will be competing against the Nationals' Brad Robertson, independent Michelle Milthorpe, and One Nations' David Farley.
The most recent polling conducted for think tank The Australia Institute shows One Nation currently has the largest primary vote in the electorate [[at 28.7 per cent]] ahead of the May 9 by-election.
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The Reserve Bank of Australia's Monetary Policy Board kicks off a two-day meeting today to decide whether to hike interest rates.
Until last week, the RBA had been widely tipped to keep rates on hold, but many economists are now predicting a hike.
Morgans Chief Economist Michael Knox says rising oil prices only add to a range of inflationary pressures.
"Well, there's a lot of stimulus in the Australian economy, as well as a lot of costs that we're going to be hit by. Firstly, there's the stimulus, strong deficit stimulus being provided by the federal government, and that's been happening at the same time as a rise in Australian export prices."
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In motorsport, 19-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest man to win a Formula One Grand Prix in ten years, after another disaster for Aussie Oscar Piastri.
Antonelli has won the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, finishing five and half seconds ahead of Mercedes team mate George Russell, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third.
Both Piastri and his McLaren team mate Lando Norris were unable to even start the race, after their cars both suffered catastrophic electrical failures.
Piastri is yet to drive a lap in Formula One this year, after crashing in the warm-up to last week Australian Grand Prix.
