Australia's Budget: More Relief for Fuel Prices

0:00Australia's federal government is eyeing more costs of living relief for households in the upcoming budget thanks to sky high fuel prices hitting. Everyone hard. Infrastructure Minister Catherine King says they're looking at extra measures amid global supply squeezes, especially diesel-staying pricey. They've already slashed the fuel excise by 26 cents per liter and wiped out the heavy vehicle road user charge to ease the pain from petrol and diesel spikes. Later this week on ABC's Insiders, King hinted the three-month excise cut might get extended past its deadline. This comes after a shaky US-Iran peace deal and fuel shortages tied to the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese just hit Singapore to lock in petrol and diesel supplies from Australia's top source, and he's heading to Brunei and Malaysia next for more fuel and fertilizer imports. Aussies are feeling the pinch at the pumps, with prices refusing to drop despite those initial breaks.

1:00King defended keeping tax perks for electric vehicle leases, saying they boosted uptake and flooded the market with cheaper secondhand EVs from, ended leases. She ruled our short-term road user charges for EV drivers, stressing the need to keep pushing electrification without disincentives. Her department's been modeling those charges since December, but right now the focus is on maxing out EV adoption. Meanwhile, a new $20 million ad campaign called Every Little Bit Helps kicks off Monday across TV, radio, and online to promote fuel. Conservation and highlight the National Fuel Security Plan. Opposition critics are slamming it as taxpayer-funded spin, saying ads won't fix supply chains. Better to secure imports first. King insists it's about informing folks on government actions and small steps we can all take to stretch supplies further. That's the story for today. Sydney News Today, Driven by AI