Allan details approach on fuel measures

At her press conference earlier today, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, again reiterated her view that “should any measures be needed” to preserve fuel supply, it would need to be “done on a coordinated national basis”.

When asked if she had specific ideas to take to the national cabinet on Monday, Allan said the government had already appointed an energy controller within the State Control Centre to coordinate activity at the Victorian level. She said at last national cabinet meeting she shared with other leaders the government’s Servo Saver app and anti-fuel price gouging laws. She went on:

I’ll continue to push really strongly for that certainty of supply to get through to rural and regional communities and also to support the [agricultural] sector, who rely overwhelmingly on diesel, to ensure that they can get the planting needed [done] over this autumn period … with certainty and confidence.

The premier said she had not plans to pause any construction on major projects despite contractors raising concerns about increased costs. She said:

Anyone who’s involved in construction knows the minute you add time to a project, you add cost, and now’s not the time I would suggest to be proposing those sorts of measures.

Victorian premier provides fuel update

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference earlier today at Viva’s refinery in Corio to provide an update on fuel availability in the state.

She said as of 5pm Thursday, there were 90 service stations without diesel: 53 in rural and regional Victoria and 37 in metropolitan Melbourne. There were also 41 without petrol: 27 in rural and regional Victoria and 14 in Melbourne. This compares to 72 without diesel and 45 without petrol yesterday.

Allan said the government was working “very quickly to address these localised demand pressure points and ensuring that supply gets there ... as quickly as possible.”

She was joined by Viva’s chief executive, Scott Wyatt, who said the company supplies about 30% of Australia’s fuel:

This Geelong refinery is a really important part of that supply chain. We make and supply about 50% of Victoria’s fuel – so it’s critical to Victoria but also to the whole nation. The crude oil that we process here is not dependant on the Middle East. We take crude oil from much closer to home, and those supply lines are strong and intact, and we are having good success in maintaining supply of imported fuel right across the country.

Wyatt said he had confidence Viva would “meet all of our customers’ requirements into the future”:

That isn’t to say there won’t be some times when things are tight, and it is quite tight at the moment, that might may cause some short-term disruptions in markets, but that’s more about short-term waiting for vessels to arrive in the country than running out of fuel.

He urged people to “be calm” and “purchase as you normally would”.

Tasmanian police warn of targeted fuel theft as several hundred litres stolen overnight

Police are investigating the theft of several hundred litres of diesel from a storage trailer in rural Tasmania.

The trailer was parked on a property near the historical village of Oatlands.

The theft took place some time between 5pm Thursday and 6.30am this morning, with the offenders breaking into the property and then stealing “several hundred litres of fuel,” Tasmanian police said.

They urged property and vehicle owners to be vigilant to potential fuel theft by taking steps to secure vehicles, machinery and storage tanks.

Storing vehicles, tools and fuel cells / tanks in secure buildings, or in areas with high visibility or CCTV coverage, can discourage opportunistic or targeted theft.

Yesterday it was 26C in Orange, and now … it’s …

High winds and large surf expected over NSW coast, SES warns

Damaging winds and large surf are expected to occur across much of the NSW coastline into the weekend, the NSW State Emergency Service has said in a statement, after severe weather brought rainfall, strong winds and damage across parts of the state.

The SES responded to 591 incidents in the 24 hours to 2:00 pm Friday, mostly in Dubbo and Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where strong winds brought down trees and caused damage to homes and infrastructure.

In Dubbo, wind gusts reached up to 115 km/h, causing widespread damage across the town, including the collapse of a crane in the CBD during the height of the storm.

Conditions are now shifting, with damaging winds, hazardous surf and coastal erosion possible along the coast from Forster to the Victorian border.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast wind gusts exceeding 100km/h, with gusts of up to 110km/h along coastal areas. The greatest risk is expected on Friday night, with locally destructive winds of up to 120km/h possible along the Illawarra coast, including around Jervis Bay.

Average diesel price rises up 28 cents a litre across major cities: consumer regulator

Diesel prices are rising faster than petrol, up 28 cents per litre across the largest cities in the last week, the ACCC has said in a statement:

Across Australia’s five largest cities, daily average retail diesel prices on 25 March were 303.5 cents per litre (cpl), an increase of 27.8 cpl (10%) from the previous week.

In comparison, average retail prices on 25 March for regular unleaded petrol across the five largest cities were 252.2 cpl, an increase of 18.1 cpl (8%) from the previous week.

On 25 March, daily average retail diesel prices across the more than 190 regional locations the ACCC monitors were 307.6 cpl, an increase of 28.6 cpl (10%) from the previous week.

Thanks for following along. I’m now handing over to my colleague Cait Kelly, who’ll keep you updated over the afternoon.

Victorian arrested over allegations of koala cruelty

A Victorian man has been arrested and interviewed over allegations of koala cruelty, according to the state’s conservation regulator.

The regulator, along with Victoria police, said it was investigating an incident in which a vehicle allegedly dragged a koala along a roadway in Koroit.

The koala, which was left with serious injuries, was later found by a member of the public and assessed by a vet. Due the severity of its injuries, the animal was euthanised.

Wildlife cruelty carries a maximum penalty of up to $101,000 and two years’ imprisonment in Victoria.

Glenn Sharp, Barwon south-west manager of regulatory operations, said:

These allegations describe a distressing and senseless act of wildlife cruelty.

We’re particularly keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam or security vision that may assist the investigation.

The Bureau of Meteorology said Narelle was the strongest cyclone the WA town of Exmouth had experienced since tropical cyclone Vance in 1999.

Damage assessments from Cyclone Narelle to come

Klemm continued:

We are aware of a boat [that] has sunk in the canals there in Exmouth.

The roof damage at the evacuation centre, we’re aware of that as well.

A full damage assessment would occur when it was safe to do so.

We really appreciate the community and their patience in dealing with the warnings.

We’re dealing with a particularly complex and difficult cyclone, which is incredibly large.

The damage from Cyclone Narelle so far

The department of fire and emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm, said there had been 25 calls for assistance across the Pilbara, mostly for roof damage and water ingress.

The town of Exmouth currently had no power, he said.

Severe effects were still expected from the western Pilbara coast to the northern Gascoyne, and extending south.

The cyclone sytem will be overland between Coral Bay and Cape Cuvier on Friday afternoon.

Emergency services minister for WA delivers update on Cyclone Narelle

WA’s minister for emergency services, Paul Papalia, said severe tropical cyclone Narelle was currently located south-west of Exmouth.

The cyclone was heading in a south-easterly direction, parallel to the state’s coastline.

He said there were 86 people in emergency evacuation centres in Exmouth, Shark Bay and Carnarvon, on Thursday night, and those centres remained open.

Western Australia appoints fuel security coordinator

Western Australia’s minister for energy and decarbonisation, Amber-Jade Sanderson said a state fuel security coordinator had been appointed, and have agreed triage and priority process for fuel allocation.

She said key suppliers had released “significantly more fuel” into the market. Including BP, which was operating at 174% of its usual volumes, Ampol at 164%, and Viva who are operating above their monthly average.

Thanks for your company this morning – I’m going to hand over to my colleague Petra Stock now who’ll bring you the latest updates over the next part of this afternoon.

Tropical Cyclone Narelle – a severe storm that already has pummelled communities across far north Queensland and the Northern Territory – is expected to make landfall over Western Australia as a category three cyclone on Friday afternoon.

Narelle was set to be the first system to make landfall as a tropical cyclone in three of Australia’s states and territories in more than 20 years – after Cyclone Ingrid in 2005 and Steve in 2000.

In an update just before 7am AWST (10am AEDT) on Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology said the system was 40km west south-west of the town of Exmouth, and had “started to weaken but is expected to remain a category four system for a few more hours”.

Read the latest full update here:

More snow! This time, falling at Perisher ski resort in New South Wales.

First snow-paws ever in Melbourne

Also snow-related – sort of – Melbourne Zoo’s two-month-old snow leopard cubs have ventured out into their habitat for the first time.

The four cubs, Maya, Kira, Lumi and Sabu, were born in January to 9-year-old mother Miska and 10-year-old father Kang Ju. They’re the only snow-leopard cubs in Australia.

Snow leopards’ native home is in the mountainous regions of Asia, including parts of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. They are classified as vulnerable, or at high risk of extinction, due to poachers, habitat loss and climate crisis.

First snowfall for the year at Thredbo

Snow has fallen for the first time this year at Thredbo, blanketing the NSW ski resort in white a week ahead of the Easter holidays.

Ski season won’t open for a few months yet, though – it’s scheduled to start in June – but there is a Kids Easter Adventure Festival running in the Snowy Mountains from 3 to 19 April. It remains to be seen if snow will still be on the ground by the time that starts.

Fact-checking the Coalition’s claims fuel excise cuts could save families $50 a week

As the Coalition joins calls for cuts to the fuel excise, it’s worth noting that the savings of such a move can be overestimated (and the budget costs underestimated).

Matt Canavan earlier this morning said the average large family would save $50 a week if the fuel excise was cut from $0.52 a litre to $0.26. They would have to be a very large family – weekly savings only add up to $50 for a household buying 192 litres of fuel a week.

The average household uses about 35 litres of fuel a week, so their weekly savings would be closer to $9 week. Take for example Canavan’s other comment:

I just saw Angus [Taylor] fill up here and that came to about $130. It was really less than 60 seconds. Australian families cannot continue to see $130 gone in 60 seconds.

A $0.26 cut would have lowered Taylor’s $130 bill by about $10, depending on the price at the service station.

That’s not quite $50 – but even a $10 discount could worsen fuel shortages and, perversely, add to inflation by allowing well-off households to spend their $10 elsewhere, economists warned earlier this week. You can read why say an excise cut is a ‘political Band-Aid’ here:

Summary of PM’s press conference

The press conference has ended. To summarise, there were no material announcements; the prime minister and energy minister provided an update on fuel supplies and responded to some questions regarding the government’s position on the war in the Middle East and the US president’s comments overnight.

Bowen says fuel supplies will be the same if not higher than normal for next few weeks

Chris Bowen says Australia’s supply of petrol and diesel and oil “will be the same if not higher than it normally would be” for the next few weeks thanks to extra orders being put in with suppliers.

He claims that the decisions the government has made around fuel in the past weeks would normally take many months:

Things that would normally take 18 months, I’ve done it three or four days. It does show a level of urgency – an appropriate level of urgency – on price. Our key focus is supply so that Australians can get access.

We know the pressure on families [regarding] petrol prices, but obviously more supply is better for a whole range of reasons, but the main focus is making sure Australians get access to that supply at the moment.

PM says there have been no requests from the US that Australia have not agreed to

Anthony Albanese has said there has been “no request being made to Australia [by the United States] that has not been agreed to”.

The prime minister responded to the comments by US president Donald Trump overnight, sticking mostly to the same lines government ministers have been repeating all morning:

President Trump is someone who I enjoyed a very constructive relationship with. I said very early on [that] I was not going to comment on all of his commentary on a day-to-day basis. But I again reiterate there is no request being made to Australia that has not been agreed to.

President Trump, it is up to him to explain his comments, but of course, I make the point as well that Australia was not consulted before this action was undertaken and I respect that, that is a matter for the United States.

What Australia is responsible for, what I as the prime minister of Australia is responsible for, is Australia’s response and we have been constructive and provided the E-7A Wedgetail aircraft that is playing a critical role in support of the Gulf states who have been attacked by Iran.

Kyle Sandilands has told reporters outside the federal court that he just wants to get back to work.

He said:

I just want to get back to work. I’ve got a family, I’ve got mortgages to pay, like everyone else.

We are happy that what we’re putting forward is going to be well received.

Sandilands said reports that he has spoken to his former co-host Jackie “O” Henderson were incorrect.

Electric vehicle loans doubled in March at NAB

NAB says lending to buy electric vehicles has doubled since the start of March as Australians scramble for ways to lower their fuel bills now and in the future.

The bank also reported a nearly 90% increase in inquiries from businesses looking to finance an electric vehicle.

Shane Ditcham, NAB’s business banking executive, said:

We’re seeing more SMEs and larger operators explore EVs and electrification as a way to manage running costs and future proof their operations, particularly in a period of ongoing fuel price volatility.

For many businesses, this is about cost certainty and resilience. For businesses where vehicles come back to the same place each night especially, EVs can make sense because energy costs are more predictable. That can be a real advantage when margins are under pressure.

Car dealers are reporting a spike in interest in electric vehicles, which before the Iran war accounted for a record 13% of new car sales.

Europe excited about new trade deal with Canberra

Australia’s friends in Europe are welcoming the new free trade agreement signed this week by Anthony Albanese and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen.

Klas Molin, Sweden’s ambassador to Australia, says the deal with expand opportunities for more than 150 Swedish companies working in Australia, who collectively employ about 77,000 people here at home.

Molin said:

Swedish companies do more than operate here: they invest locally, employ locally, manufacture locally and grow together with Australian people and industries. Under the new free‑trade agreement, we look forward to bringing our countries even closer to boost innovation, jobs, and sustainability.

Sweden’s footprint in Australia has existed for a long time already. Companies including Alfa Laval and Ericsson have operated in Australia for more than 100 years, supporting technological advancement and industrial development.

Ikea opened its first Australian store in 1975 but Swedish furniture exports to Australia began as early as 1842.

From tomorrow, magistrates in New South Wales will known as “judges”, as state government amendments to the Local Court Act come into effect.

The Minns government made the change last year, saying the title of “magistrate” was a historical one that stemmed from a time when judicial officers were public service appointees sitting in the court of petty sessions, but they have been required to hold legal qualifications for more than 70 years now.

The Northern Territory’s Local Court and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia has already changed these titles.

A statement this morning from the Attorney General Michael Daley’s office said the title change does not affect existing powers, functions or protections of Local Court judicial officers.

Daley said:

The role of magistrates has changed significantly in recent decades, but their title hasn’t kept pace with the volume and complex of matters they hear. They perform a judicial role, and their title should reflect that.

Judicial officers in the Local Court do the same things as their counterparts in other courts in NSW. Not only is there no reason not to make this change; it is absolutely deserved.

NSW Police are investigating after a swastika was allegedly etched into the window of the Paddington premises of Jewish bagel and sandwich shop, Lox in a Box.

Police confirmed they were investigating after receiving a report of malicious damage at the Oxford Street business about 12pm Thursday, noting that their inquiries established the incident occurred on Saturday 21 March.

In an Instagram post on Thursday night, the business owner – whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors – said they were “in shock” and that the alleged incident, coming ahead of the Jewish Passover festival, “felt like a punch that landed deeper than most.”

Police have asked anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers.

Angus Taylor claims fuel shortages due to Labor’s ‘war on fossil fuels’

Angus Taylor says he wants to see “more digging and more drilling” of fossil fuels, arguing that Australia’s apparent fuel shortages are “because of Labor’s net zero war on fossil fuels.”

Asked if he supports a super profits tax on gas companies, Taylor said:

I support more gas in this country, more production of gas in this country.

I want to see more digging and more drilling and I want to see it happening as fast as possible but it hasn’t been happening under this government, that has made it impossible to get approvals, whether it is for a gas or mining project across the country and they are halting the production of oil and gas in this country.

We need more oil and gas, not less, and so that is what I want to see. I want to see more digging and more drilling.

Matt Canavan says halving of fuel excise a ‘sensible approach’

Matt Canavan has spoken briefly at this press conference. He says the “sensible approach is to provide a little bit of relief to Australian families”.

He claims of the proposal:

This will mean that for the average family filling up a large family filling up will save around $50 a week by having this reduction in excise and that will provide some sort of relief.

NSW government says new datacentres should pay for infrastructure

New datacentres should pay for their own infrastructure requirements and be more sustainable in their use of energy and water, says the NSW government’s strategy for the sector.

The state government has shared its Data Centre Consultation paper, following the federal government’s release of it expectations for the industry this week, as well as announcing 15 datacentre projects which will be supported by the state’s Investment Delivery Authority.

Currently datacentres in NSW, of which there are 90, pay for direct connections to the electricity to the network, but consumers cover the cost of transmission upgrades upstream. The government says any new projects should cover these costs. It says energy and water use should be more sustainable, including the use of recycled water, but has not provided specific guidance in its strategy.

The Minns government has been under pressure from the opposition, who have accused the government of having no coordinated strategy for the rapidly expanding sector, as well as the Greens, who say the government is allowing for fast-track approvals of datacentres without planning for the impacts of their water and energy use. A parliamentary inquiry is looking into datacentre developments in the state.

The NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, says:

NSW is a premium destination for datacentres but we are only interested in working with proponents who have a long-term commitment to both this state and their social licence.

At the same time, we recognise this growth must be managed responsibly. That’s why we’re releasing a consultation paper to inform a Data Centre Strategy that considers energy and water use, infrastructure capacity and the long‑term interests of NSW households and businesses.

Two Sydney men will face court today, each charged with allegedly performing a Nazi salute during a rally at Hyde Park in Sydney on 19 October.

In a statement today, the Australian Federal Police said the men, aged 24 and 25, have each been charged with one count of publicly displaying a prohibited Nazi symbol or giving a Nazi salute, a criminal offence that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one year’s imprisonment and a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.

The team that investigated the men, the National Security Investigations team, was established in October last year, with the AFP saying its intention was to “target groups and individuals causing high levels of harm to Australia’s social cohesion, including targeting the Jewish community.”

Power outages in Sydney after storms hit city overnight

Power outages continue across Sydney this morning after heavy storms battered the city and surrounding areas overnight.

More than 10,000 sites were reportedly affected by power outages last night after lightning, hail and wind gusts of up to 80km hit the the city.

As at 8am this morning, Ausgrid were reporting 3,789 sites affected by unplanned outages, while 670 Endeavour energy customers were affected.

Government will ‘focus on what’s in Australia’s national interest’, Watt says

The environment minister, Murray Watt, has just been on the airwaves, on ABC’s RN, where he was also asked about Trump’s criticism of Australia.

Watt kept to almost exactly the same lines as Marles:

Well, as we’ve said many times, we’re not going to give a running commentary on the various statements of President Trump. What we’re going to do is focus on what’s in Australia’s national interest.

It’s been very widely reported that we’ve delivered the support that we’ve been asked for, which is a defensive support for the UAE. I heard you say that you’ll have the ambassador from the UAE on the program shortly and he’ll be able to tell you more about the support that we’re providing to defend the UAE from incoming attacks from Iran.

That’s the request that we’ve received. That’s the request that we have agreed to. And I’m not aware of any further request having been made of Australia.

Controversial radio host Kyle Sandilands is expected to make his first appearance in court today in a showdown with a $100 million contract on the line, Australian Associated Press reports.

The top-rated host is suing his former employer ARN in the federal court in Sydney, alleging the termination of his contract with the company was invalid because there was no act of serious misconduct.

He also claims the termination breached Australian Consumer Law.

ARN, the parent company of KIIS FM, which previously broadcast Sandilands’ show for more than a decade, said on Monday it disputed the claims and would defend them.

Thank you so much Martin for kicking us off this morning! I’m Stephanie Convery and I’ll be with you from now until early afternoon.

‘I was a little bit surprised they said no’

It’s not the first time Donald Trump has made a comment like this; a week ago he was asked by an Australian journalist what he wanted from Australia in the Iran conflict and said “Well, they should get involved, and I was a little bit surprised they said no, because we always say yes to them”.

In response, the defence minister, Richard Marles, said Australia had not been asked to send military support to the strait of Hormuz, and the prime minister said Australia had already sent a plane, defensive missiles and supporting personnel to the United Arab Emirates.