Australia's Grocery Bills at Risk as Diesel Prices Soar

0:00It's March 29th. This is Sydney News Today, local news powered by AI. Households across Australia are getting warned that weekly grocery bills could jump soon if the government doesn't cut taxes on the trucking industry. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and state premieres are gearing up for a national cabinet meeting Monday morning to tackle surging demand for petrol and diesel without repeating COVID supply mess-ups. Diesel prices have shot past $3.00 a liter in big cities, hitting transport operators hard. Business groups are pushing for a quick drop in the heavy vehicle road user charge, now at $32.4 cents per liter to give freight. Hollers, some breathing room, and stop costs from rippling into food prices. Chambers of commerce laid out a four-point plan to lock down fuel supply, smooth distribution, curb demand, and keep businesses running. Supermarket giants like Coles and Woolworths are tweaking fuel levies for truck drivers, with some hikes up to 70% and faster payments to.

1:01Help cash flow, though no customer price jumps yet. Global oil prices spiked over the weekend, with Brent Crude hitting $111 US dollars of barrel amid fears of wider Middle East conflict. Blocking key shipping routes. Nationally, fuel stocks look solid at 39 days for petrol and 30 days each for diesel and jet fuel. But local shortages popped up from extra buying, so the gelong refinery is cranking at max capacity. Leaders from business and opposition are calling for daily call messages from the top to avoid panic while stressing national coordination for diesel. In construction, mining, and farms, national cabinets got all options open to steady the chains and shield jobs as this pressure builds.