Australia has secured an additional shipment of diesel, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced.
The shipment, which is en route to port Botany, was secured by Export Finance Australia.
Mr Albanese made the announcement alongside Energy Minister Chris Bowen at their weekly update on Saturday morning.
“My government has worked really hard to shield the Australians from the worst impacts,” he said of the conflict in the Middle East.
“The impact has been felt right around the world, with an increase in fuel prices the greatest the world has ever seen.”
He said that, since February, Australia has secured 800 million litres of diesel, 155 million litres of jet fuel, and 340,000 tonnes of fertiliser.
Mr Albanese said this proved the Coalition and “right wing parties” who made “alarmist comments” wrong, a sentiment echoed by Mr Bowen.
“Now there were those who said rationing and shortages were inevitable,” Mr Bowen said.
“The Opposition said shortages were inevitable and played politics.
“One Nation called for rations, demanded rations... We had the view that calmer heads would prevail.”
As of Saturday, Mr Bowen said Australia had 44 days worth of petrol and 39 days worth of diesel, with 51 ships on their way to Australia.
However, the Prime Minister said uncertainty in the global market made it difficult to predict when prices would fall for Australians.
“There is a great deal of uncertainty about how long it will take before normal trade resumes,” he said.
Mr Albanese added that the decision to open of the Strait of Hormuz “doesn’t mean that it immediately opens”.
The country’s fuel excise is currently scheduled to end on June 30.
The Prime Minister said a decision will be made about the fuel excise in “the coming days” and said he hoped Australians would respond in a “responsible way” and not stockpile fuel.
While speaking on Saturday morning, Mr Albanese also took the time to congratulate the Socceroos on their World Cup game against the US.
The Australian team went down 2-0 to the home team.
“We’re proud of you, we look forward to the game against Paraguay, and to us qualifying through to the next round,” he said.
Acknowledging the “tough” game being played on the US team’s home soil, he said “well done” to the team and coach Tony Popovic.
“The way they played the entire 90 minutes, plus six (minutes), plus a little bit extra for the referee getting cramped, something which I’ve never seen before... was an extraordinary effort and we are proud of you,” he said.
He said it was “fantastic” to see so many Australians in attendance at the game, his highlight being a chant of “we have free healthcare”.
“I think that certainly warmed my heart, it is something we should be proud of as a nation,” Mr Albanese said.
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