Anthony Albanese appoints fuel supply co-ordinator as Iran war deepens

Anthony Albanese has appointed a fuel supply taskforce co-ordinator as the war in Iran deepens. The Prime Minister met with state and territory leaders in Hobart on Thursday for an urgent meeting of national cabinet. It comes after Mr Albanese was reportedly close to finalising a support package for Australia’s last two oil refineries in Victoria and Queensland. Mr Albanese has faced continued pressure over his handling of the fuel crisis more than three weeks since the United States and Israel’s surprise attack on Iran. The conflict has sent shockwaves through global markets, with reports of Australian towns temporarily running out of fuel as prices skyrocketed, despite the government claiming all intended inbound ships had arrived. Those concerns were exacerbated on Thursday, however, after an attack by Israel on the South Pars gas field in Iran – the world’s largest single source of LNG. Iran subsequently attacked sections of a gas field operated by neighbouring Qatar. Addressing the media, Mr Albanese said former Australian Energy Regulator chief executive Anthea Harris had been appointed taskforce co-ordinator. “Prior to this she was deputy secretary of energy group within the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning,” he said. “I cannot think of anyone better with more experience, more knowledge as well as that experience in a state government to be able to co-ordinate these efforts.” The taskforce, established within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, will drive co-ordination between the commonwealth and the states and territories, Mr Albanese said. Already underway, the taskforce will also provide updates to the federal government and the states on the fuel supply outlook, and will act as a “single convening point” for fuel supply and forward planning. “This is a sensible measure to put in place,” Mr Albanese said. “The commonwealth government is, of course, responsible for fuel security and supply … states and territories that are responsible for distribution within their jurisdictions. “The best outcome is to ensure Australia is over prepared and today’s announcement reinforces that approach.” In a subsequent statement approved by Australian premiers and chief ministers, the leaders agreed that Australia did not have “an overall fuel shortage at this time”, but the nation must be “prepared for all scenarios”, Mr Albanese said. The leaders were also provided updates by the Office of National Intelligence and ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said he was “not against” a taskforce if it would “solve the problem”. “The Prime Minister should step in,” he said. “I’ve been saying that for days because the minister’s (Energy Minister Chris Bowen) not doing his job. “But, the minister should have done his job and he’s failed Australians and this is the consequence.” ‘No less fuel’ Mr Albanese reiterated calls on Australians to only take the fuel “they need”. “The longer the conflict in the Middle East goes, the more significant impact will be for the global supply chain, fuel prices, and the wider economy.” The Prime Minister was again adamant the crisis was not driven by supply woes. “There not less fuel in Australia today than there was three weeks ago,” he said. “Every single ship that was due to land here has landed here. There is not less supply. “This is an issue, has been an issue, of increased demand. “Both things can in fact be true. “You can have the same amount of fuel that was expected to be here, but because of demand issues – a doubling of demand and in some cases much more than doubling in areas – that can mean there are shortages in some areas, which is why we need to make sure we co-ordinate to make sure those distribution issues are dealt with.” Mr Albanese said he was “deeply concerned” about attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure. He warned Iran’s attack on Qatar would impact “future supply”. “I am hopeful you can see an endpoint” of the conflict, he said. “The objectives of denying Iran the opportunity to have a development of a nuclear weapon have been secured – that was objective number one. “Iran’s ability to engage in attacks in the region have also been undermined by this process as well.” The ACCC on Thursday announced that it had launched an enforcement investigation into allegations of anti-competitive conduct by each of the major fuel suppliers: Ampol, BP Australia, Mobil Oil Australia, and Viva Energy Australia. It comes after Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the war on Iran and its repercussions would be a “defining influence” on the May budget. The Treasurer had earlier written to the ACCC urging it to probe fuel prices. Separately, the watchdog said it would hike fines for cartel behaviour and alleged price gouging.