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Albanese leaves door open to extending fuel excise cut

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has not ruled out extending the temporary cut to the fuel excise as the Middle East conflict continues to disrupt the global oil market.

We’ll do an assessment closer to the day. It is very costly but it has made a difference. We’re doing pretty well, I’ve got to say, compared with what the expectations were, people have stopped asking me about it (fuel supplies).

We’ll make the assessment, like, it’s really volatile times. We don’t know when this war in the Middle East will end. We’ve got the ceasefire still going at the moment. We want it to end.

The domestic terminal at Melbourne Avalon Airport was evacuated this morning following the identification of a suspicious item during the screening process. Victoria police attended and an individual has been detained.

The matter is now being managed by police and any further enquiries should be directed to Victoria police.

At this stage, passengers are being advised that, due to safety precautions, delays are expected. Passengers are advised to contact Jetstar regarding their flights. We will provide further updates regarding any additional delays as more information becomes available.

Australia’s foreign minister said Wednesday that China has agreed to work together to facilitate exports of jet fuel, in an attempt to ease supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East.

The conflict and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil transits, have caused fuel prices to soar and left many Asia-Pacific nations facing an energy crisis.

China, a major exporter of jet fuel and diesel to Australia and other countries, has avoided the worst of the war’s energy impacts thanks to its vast oil stocks, but paused exports at the start of the war to protect its domestic supplies.

“I can confirm… that the Chinese government is facilitating engagement with Australian businesses on jet fuel,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Beijing, following talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

She added that the move was “an important step, however, it is the first step”.

Earlier in the day, Wong pressed her case to Han, telling him that refineries in the Indo-Pacific region have been disproportionately affected by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Australian foreign ministry readout.

In the talks, she called for greater reciprocity in trade, emphasizing that Australia’s steady supply of raw materials and food to China should be matched by a reliable flow of gasoline, kerosene and fertilizers back to Australia.

“I made the point that the import inputs China supplies to Australia, including jet fuel, support the Australian resources sector, which in turn helps to maintain the flow of commodities that are so important in the bilateral trading relationship,” Wong told the press conference.

China is set to resume exports in May with major state-owned companies applying for licenses to do so, the Financial Times reported Tuesday, citing industry sources.

Chinese authorities have not commented publicly on the matter.

During her talks with Chinese officials, Wong added: “We were able to speak frankly, as we do, about those areas of difference, including consular issues, human rights, foreign interference, and regional and international security.”