>>24355021

>>24363919

>>24411596

>>24420519

Bowen replaces cancelled oil ships, says rationing is a last resort

THOMAS HENRY - 25 March 2026

1/2

The government has confirmed replacements for six cancelled oil shipments and deals with companies to deliver fuel supplies released from Australia’s strategic reserves, denying that rationing is on the agenda.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the cancelled shipments had been replaced from alternative sources and that an additional three deliveries had been secured over and above what had been contracted for the next two months.

“I previously have informed the house that … of the 81 expected ship arrivals over April, we were aware of six cancellations. All of them have now been replaced with alternative spot market orders from different locations,” Mr Bowen said.

“Industry has informed me this morning that in addition to replacing those six cancelled boats, they have been able to secure at least three more cargo deliveries for April and May for Australia, over and above the normal contracted deliveries to ensure that we are dealing with this demand.”

Mr Bowen also said two deals had been struck with companies to deliver supplies from Australia’s strategic reserves to regional areas.

Early on Wednesday the government said fuel rationing measures would be a last resort, ruling out a cap on the amount of petrol motorists could buy as recommended under a national fuel emergency plan.

After the release of the most recent version of Australia’s National Liquid Fuel Emergency Response Plan, which recommends, among other measures, car pooling and daily limits on fuel purchases, Mr Bowen said rationing would only be used in the “absolute worse-case” scenario.

He ruled out the possibility of a $40 cut-off for motorists looking to fill their tanks and said there was more fuel in Australia than at the start of the conflict in Iran.

“There’s a range of government measures. Rationing would be the absolute worst case. So it’s not on the agenda,” he said.

“In terms of that $40 approach … we wouldn’t go down that particular road. I’m not contemplating that.

“But we are working with states on their powers, on our powers, how they work together in terms of prudent contingency planning.”

With the number of service stations running dry continuing to rise, Mr Bowen maintained there was no hit to Australia’s supply of fuel and that shortages were entirely demand-driven.

The NSW government confirmed on Wednesday that of the state’s 2400 stations, 32 in regional areas had no fuel, 313 were without at least one type of fuel, and 187 had run out of diesel.

Mr Bowen attributed the shortages wholly to spikes in demand, which he said was “understandable”, but said the government was continuing to urge consumers only to buy what they needed.

“We’ve seen very big spikes in demand. Some of it has been panic buying. Some of it has been people getting ahead of price rises. Some of it has been farmers stocking up, which is fair, I get all that, that’s reasonable,” he said.

“Every ship that we’ve expected to arrive has arrived, and the two refineries are working perfectly well … It’s not a supply issue in Australia. Clearly we’ve had big increases in demand.”

(continued)

>>24424585

2/2

The Coalition demanded the government detail its plan to get fuel to petrol stations that had run dry and use Australia’s reputation as a trusted trading partner to secure additional supplies.

Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan said that if ministers’ claims – that Australia has more fuel now than at the start of the war – were true, the government must detail its plans to address distributional issues that have left more than 500 petrol stations without fuel.

“We need to see the shortages identified, and then we need to see the fuel get there. We’ve been asking the government to do that for over three weeks now and yet they just seem incapable of being able to do that,” he told Sky News.

“That is just something that he could do right here and now to alleviate the issues.”

Mr Tehan also called for the government to use its “leverage” to get assurances from trading partners that Australia would be a first priority for fuel exports.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bowen-replaces-cancelled-oil-ships-says-rationing-is-a-last-resort/news-story/d0f33c6681fcdf970dd96c81432fa88a

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qWA16wZIIk

>>24355021

>>24363919

>>24411596

>>24420519

>>24415984

>>24424585

Japanese ambassador signals fuel-for-LNG swap to secure Australia’s energy supply

BRAD THOMPSON - 25 March 2026

Japan’s ambassador to Australia has left the door open to some form of fuel-for-LNG swap as alluded to by Anthony Albanese but warned any new taxes on oil and gas exports would be “bad news” for the relationship between the two countries and for investment.

Ambassador Kazuhiro Suzuki said on Wednesday that if fuel shortages in Australia became acute, Japan might be willing to help while hitting out any the prospect of Treasurer Jim Chalmers applying new taxes on LNG exports.

Mr Suzuki said such a move could jeopardise Japan investment in Australia and that Tokyo did not like surprises.

In a pointed message to energy security obsessed Japan and other Asian nations in recent days, Mr Albanese has said “we are reliable partners when it comes to energy security, and we expect that to be a two-way flow”.

Mr Suzuki stressed that Japan had so far maintained its relatively small but important exports to Australia.

Japan would be one of the countries hit if Australia imposed new so-called windfall taxes on the oil and gas industry. Supplying liquid fuel to counter shortages in Australia might weigh against any such move by the Albanese government.

Speaking at a Minerals Council of Australia conference in Canberra, Mr Suzuki said Japan had about 250 days of fuel supply in reserve, but that 90 per cent of its supply ultimately came from the Middle East.

He said Japan would pressure the International Energy Agency to release more of its strategic reserves at the appropriate time, and that Japan’s reserves were earmarked for domestic use if the situation became dire.

On the prospect of new LNG taxes, Mr Suzuki said that Japan didn’t like surprises.

“Surprise, in the Japanese business dictionary, it’s always bad. If there’s a retrospective taxing or something, I think that is really bad news,” he said.

“Japanese investors are saying, so if there’s a surprise, they just go to other countries. We love Australia, so Australia should be the first country that we should invest in, but if there’s a big surprise, then, you know because we hate surprise, causes a problem.”

Mr Suzuki said Japan would need to have a deep understanding of any actual fuel shortages in Australia before committing to help, but said it was a possibility.

He pointed to reports of panic buying in rural areas as part of the problem and to assurances from Energy Minister Chris Bowen that Australia was managing any shortages.

“We really need to see the market situation in Australia first and then we need to deepen our communication between the two countries,” he said.

“Maybe we could collaborate and then do something together. That’s the only answer that I can give it to you now.”

Dr Chalmers has not ruled out “windfall” taxes on LNG exporters that would be passed on to customers in Japan. The price of LNG has already spiked because of the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel.

Dr Chalmers said this week that Australians deserved a “fair return on the resources they own” when asked about a windfall tax being included in his May budget.

Resources Minister Madeleine King was on stage when Mr Suzuki broached the subject of co-operation on energy security in what could in effect represent a LNG-for-liquid fuel arrangement.

Asked about the prospect of a deal on the sidelines of the conference, Ms King said: “I believe very much in that relationship between our two countries and the government of Japan is well aware of how we can best work together, and it’s all about energy security, whether that be LNG from Australia to Japan or in liquid fuel security from Japan back to Australia.”

Ms King said Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other countries in Asia clearly understood the interdependence on energy security.

“They rely on our LNG for their energy security, and we rely on liquid fuels,” she said.

“I think the agreement between the Singaporean Prime Minister and our Prime Minister is really indicative of what the region all knows – that we have to work together.”

Mr Albanese and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong released a joint statement on energy security on Monday.

Ms King noted that Singapore and Malaysia were major sources of liquid fuel for Australia, and noted that Australia was also in talks with China.

Iran has so far allowed oil tankers bound for China to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Minister (Penny) Wong has made it clear that Australia has discussed fuel security with a range of countries, including China. We have engaged with China both in Canberra and in country,” Ms King said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/japanese-ambassador-signals-fuelforlng-swap-to-secure-australias-energy-supply/news-story/dca7c429799751730264ccfd5bd5183d

>>24355021

>>24363854

>>24363902

>>24367769

>>24367805

‘Shut the door’: Australia to ban Iranian visa holders citing ‘national interest’

NATHAN SCHMIDT - 25 March 2026

Iranians on temporarily visas will be restricted from re-entering Australia under controversial new powers.

The Albanese government will from Thursday restrict anyone with a visitor visa (subclass 600) linked to an Iranian passport and who is outside of Australia from re-entering the country, more than four weeks after the United States’ and Israel’s surprise attack on Iran.

Visa-holders are typically allowed to remain in Australia for up to 12 months, usually for tourism, business, or to visit family.

However, under the new rules, which will remain in effect for six months, only spouses, de facto partners, or a dependent child of an Australia citizen or permanent visa holder, or a parent of a child under 18 already in Australia, will be allowed entry.

The government claims the changes will bolster the integrity of Australia’s migration system and in the national interest.

It warned the war against Iran increased the risk temporary visa holders may be unlikely or unable to depart Australia when their visa expired, and that the new measures would afford government time to assess cases, while still allowing “flexibility in limited cases”.

“There are many visitor visas which were issued before the conflict in Iran which may not have been issued if they were applied for now,” Home Affairs Minister Tony burke said.

“Decisions about permanent stays in Australia should be deliberate decisions of the government, not a random consequence of who had booked a holiday.

“The Australian government is closely monitoring global developments and will adjust settings as required to ensure Australia’s migration system remains orderly, fair and sustainable.”

Under the changes, a person issued an active Permitted Travel Certificate – including people who may have already departed for Australia – or holding another time of visa may be allowed entry.

The changes would also not prohibit people outside Australia from applying for a new visa.

In limited cases involving parents of Australian citizens, “sympathetic consideration” would also be given, the government said.

Developed in consultation with the Iranian diaspora, the changes faced pushback when they were first introduced and passed in parliament earlier this month.

At the time, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Chief Executive Kon Karapanagiotidis said the rules “shut the door” on people seeking safety in Australia.

“If people already have a visa to travel to Australia, and this kind of violence has broken out in their home country – why would we not want to help them?” he said.

“On the very same day that the Government has acted so swiftly and compassionately to protect members of the Iranian women’s soccer team, they want to slam the door on family members of Australian citizens.”

Mr Burke offered asylum to members of the Iranian women’s soccer team earlier this month – however, only two players ultimately followed through and remained in Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/shut-the-door-australia-to-ban-iranian-visa-holders-citing-national-interest/news-story/b405403d2bb032e08cd7bae0f90fa23f

>>24248834 (pb)

>>24295203 (pb)

>>24355021

Palestinian flag to be lowered from city hall after fiery debate

Rachael Dexter and Rachael Ward - March 25, 2026

A Palestinian flag flying above a council building in Melbourne’s north for more than two years will soon be lowered after months of debate over its future.

On Tuesday night, after a 90-minute debate, Darebin City Council voted on the municipality’s new flag policy, which includes no longer flying any international flags at all unless required by legislation.

The Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags will continue to fly in council buildings and are not affected by the vote. However, the Palestinian flag flying above the council’s main chamber in Preston must be lowered within 10 working days, and will be marked with a “brief respectful ceremony”.

The council reached a final decision on the drawn-out dispute over how and when to fly different flags after three formal attempts to pass a motion on Tuesday. During the meeting, some people in the public gallery jeered and shouted, and were warned multiple times by Mayor Emily Dimitriadis to remain silent during debate, with one threatened with ejection.

The Palestinian flag was raised above Preston City Hall after being endorsed by councillors on December 18, 2023.

Tuesday’s successful motion, moved by independent Councillor Connie Boglis, prohibits new international flags and removes the chief executive’s discretion to approve community requests. Boglis described the policy as a “careful balance” that provides “transparency, equity and accountability”.

The policy came after a community consultation process that received more than 500 submissions. Labor councillor Kristine Olaris noted that while councillors held strong personal views, the feedback was “quite clear” that a majority of the community did not want any international flags flown. Labor councillors Olaris, Dimitriadis, Matt Arturi and Vasilios Tsalkos all supported the motion, as did Boglis.

The motion was opposed by independent Councillor Angela Villella and Greens councillors Ruth Jelley and Alexandra Sangster.

Villella was most vocal in her opposition, saying councillors should be “ashamed of ourselves” for stripping residents of the right to have different flags flown.

“We are actually denying our residents a right to have a say. I can’t understand it … it’s outrageous,” she said. “How dare we say that to the community? Who the hell do we think we are that we can say that?”

Sangster successfully moved a subsequent amendment to provide the community with a 10-day “grace period” before the Palestinian flag is removed, allowing time for residents to prepare a ceremony for what she described as a “deeply distressing moment”.

Following the Bondi terrorist attack, an urgent meeting was called in late December 2025, where chief executive Anne Howard asked councillors to take down the flag and replace it with a “peace flag” – in part due to complaints made to council staff from locals after the mass shooting.

A special council meeting was held in February to discuss the future of the flag, where councillors voted to delay a decision until adopting a formal flag policy in March.

In both meetings, councillors knocked back the “peace flag” suggestion.

Darebin Council’s policy was developed partly by examining international flag policies elsewhere in Victoria. Council documents show Greater Dandenong, Surf Coast Shire, Manningham and Yarra Ranges councils permit international flags to be flown during official visits of dignitaries or under other strict conditions.

In Greater Dandenong, international flags may also be flown as a show of support during a crisis, in the Yarra Ranges only to acknowledge a significant event, while in the Surf Coast foreign flags can also be displayed as directed by state or federal governments. In Manningham, only the flags of nations recognised by Australia can fly alongside the Australian flag.

Palestinian flags were previously raised at Darebin, Merri-bek, Dandenong and Maribyrnong councils in the early months of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Merri-bek’s flag was flown until a ceasefire in 2025. However, last September councillors voted to fly it indefinitely outside the town hall in Coburg.

Darebin Council has been contacted for comment.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/palestinian-flag-to-be-lowered-from-city-hall-after-fiery-debate-20260325-p5x6zc.html

>>23959445 (pb)

>>24355021

US Admiral stares down AUKUS doubters over WA’s submarine deadline

Hamish Hastie - March 25, 2026

The US Navy’s operations chief says his country will make good on its commitment to start delivering Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Australia by 2032, while suggesting the US industrial base will be big and quick enough by the end of the decade to fulfil those orders.

US Naval Operations Chief Admiral Daryl Caudle has been in Australia for the past few days and on Tuesday visited HMAS Stirling and Rockingham in Perth’s south to see progress on base upgrades to begin accommodating a rotating force of US and British submarines from next year.

Under the $368 billion AUKUS agreement, Australia has agreed to purchase between three and five Virginia-class nuclear submarines, with the first set to be delivered by 2032.

Sceptics of the pact, including former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, believe that timeline will be impossible to meet because of the slow rate at which the US Navy is building its own submarines, around 1.3 per year.

In order to meet the “optimal pathway” outlined by the original AUKUS agreement, the US will need to improve that build rate to 2.3 submarines per year.

During his confirmation hearing in July last year, Caudle himself said there needed to be a “transformational improvement” in shipbuilding rates of 100 per cent to reach that target.

Speaking to WA media during his visit, Caudle said he was optimistic that it would happen.

“It’s a tough thing to predict, but I would say, I can confidently say that we should be above two submarines a year by the 2030s…based on our current projections,” he said.

“Improvements in shipbuilding are slow because it took a long time for it to get to the place that it is today and the things that we’re doing, I think, take time to get it back to the place that I mentioned in my confirmation hearing.”

Caudle said the Navy was doing a range of things to improve its industrial base, including improving workforces, advanced manufacturing and using modularisation.

He also said improved shipbuilding maintenance programs would see more US submarines in the water.

Caudle said he visited areas south of Perth where US sailors will eventually live and met with Defence Housing Australia, which will facilitate the housing needs of the sailors arriving from next year.

With Perth in the grips of a housing crisis, Caudle said the number of sailors would be a “blip” in the population increases, but that US sailors would fall in love with Perth and would have a big impact on the local economy.

“The actual impact of what US sailors will bring to the local economy there, I think, will be significant and a big opportunity for your country,” he said.

Caudle revealed the name of the squadron that would be based in WA as Submarine Squadron 3, which he commanded when it was based on Pearl Harbour before it was dismantled in 2012.

With Australia purchasing Virginia-class submarines Caudle said it would be an “implicit expectation” that the two countries’ respective navies would work closely together in the decades to come.

“You’re such a great partner. You’ve been with us in conflict since World War II, just in earnest,” he said.

“When you have a great relationship with a country, and you have the same, generally, the same national interest and to protect the international rules-based order to protect sea lanes of communication, to protect critical choke points, the flow of commerce. Those types of missions are just common to like-minded navies.

“I think what comes with the selling of Virginia-class submarines is that we will just naturally work together to accomplish those missions together.

“So I wouldn’t put it too much as a hard expectation is, I would just [say it’s] what two great partners do together.

“We operate together today with your Collins class, and we’ll operate together with the Virginia class of the future.”

The Australian Government is investing $8 billion to expand HMAS Stirling’s infrastructure over a decade so it can accommodate a rotating force of UK and US nuclear submarines, as well as eventually the Royal Australian Navy’s own Virginia Class submarines and the Australian-built SSN-AUKUS.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/western-australia/us-admiral-stares-down-aukus-doubters-over-wa-s-submarine-deadline-20260325-p5xn7d.html

https://www.navy.mil/Leadership/Flag-Officer-Biographies/Search/Article/2236204/admiral-daryl-caudle/

>>24424631

US Naval Operations chief Admiral Daryl Caudle confirms WA will house first nuclear-powered sub by 2034

Jessica Evensen and Andrew Greene - 24 March 2026

The United States top navy chief has declared Western Australia will be home to at least two nuclear powered Virginia-class submarines under the AUKUS agreement by 2034.

US Naval Operations Chief Admiral Daryl Caudle made the commitment in Perth on Tuesday afternoon following his visit to HMAS Stirling to meet with local authorities and strengthen the AUKUS trilateral partnership.

The Australian Government has already invested $8 billion into transforming HMAS Stirling into a “nuclear-ready” facility, with five nuclear-based submarines scheduled to have a rotational presence at the naval base from next year.

WA is relying on AUKUS to justify the mammoth upgrade, which is predicted to create around 10,000 new jobs.

Admiral Caudle — who was appointed to the top job by the new Trump administration in August — said he was “very pleased” with the construction timeline at HMAS Stirling.

“I wouldn’t say (construction is) ahead, but it’s certainly not behind, and I’m very pleased with where we’ve come,” he told local media.

“There’s lots of construction going on the base, we’re seeing all the facilities that we need, from secure locations, the maintenance facility and the emergency command centre.

“I got to tour … the barracks that are on the base, where the sailors will live on the base, what they will experience (including the) galley, canteen and eating facilities.”

Admiral Caudle said the US would obey its promise to rotate four Virginia-class submarines as part of Submarine Rotational Force-West.

“You’re going to see us stick to the agreement here of what we’ve committed to,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say (the number of submarines) is going to get bigger, we’re going to stay on plan … it’s going to be as currently designed.”

He said WA was on track to house its first sovereign Virginia-class submarine by 2034.

And when asked whether the US would meet its fleet requirements, he said: “I can confidently say we should be above two submarines a year.”

“By 2030 I would expected us to be above two submarines a year, based on current projections.”

Admiral Caudle said there was an “implicit expectation” Australia would stand with the US, and described AUKUS as a “match made in heaven”.

“(Australia is) such a great partner, you’ve been with us in conflicts since World War II,” he said.

“When you have a great relationship with a country and you have the same national interest and to protect international rules-based order … those types of missions are just common to like-minded navies.

“We operate together today with your Collins-class (submarines), and we’ll operate together with the Virginia-class of the future.”

https://thewest.com.au/politics/aukus/us-naval-operations-chief-admiral-daryl-caudle-confirms-wa-will-house-first-nuclear-powered-sub-by-2034-c-22040981