As it became clear that the impact of the war in the Middle East and its flow on to virtually every single corner of the national economy was going from bad to worse, we got word that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was set to take to the nation’s TV screens to deliver an address to the nation on Wednesday.
At last, some clarity and authoritative assessment, we thought.
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As the clock ticked towards 7pm AEDT, the theme of his address was being previewed: We all need to play our part, and we should save fuel for areas and industries that most need it.
The speculation that he was set to announce fuel rationing proved unfounded. The vibe was that the message would be keep calm and carry on.
But not much more than 90 minutes before Mr Albanese was set to tell us all, his theme was dealt a blow by WA Premier Roger Cook. Mr Cook’s message blew the keep calm mantra out of the water. The WA Premier revealed a state of emergency would be declared in WA.
He announced he would use emergency powers to force fuel companies to divert supplies to where they’re needed.
He had asked fuel companies to volunteer information, including volumes, scheduled shipments and delivery timetables by 5pm WA time on Tuesday. Only three of six companies replied.
Mr Cook said his request included information that is commercially sensitive, but he insisted it’s necessary to divert supplies to parts of regional WA worst hit by shortages.
Soon afterwards, and perhaps in an acknowledgement that central messaging delivered with gravitas was well overdue, came the Prime Minister’s address to the nation.
Mr Albanese asked people to think of their fellow Australians and conserve fuel, but warned that “the months ahead may not be easy”.
It was “the Australian way that people want to do their bit”, Mr Albanese said, and the best way to do so was to go about business and life as normal, while thinking of others in the community, the bush and critical industries.
“Enjoy your Easter and if you’re hitting the road, don’t take more fuel than you need,” he said. “And over coming weeks, if you can switch to catching the train or bus or tram to work do so.
“That builds our reserves, and it saves fuel for people who have no choice but to drive — farmers and miners and tradies who need diesel every single day, and all those shift workers and nurses who do so much for our country,” Mr Albanese said.
But despite his push for a national approach, just as in the COVID days, it is already clear States are prepared to go their own way.
What is also clear is that the Albanese Government has no clue about what will happen next in the war zone. United States President Donald Trump’s messaging has changed day-to-day or even hour-by-hour.
The first the Government knows about a Trump plan is pretty much when the rest of us find out about it too.
Mr Albanese will need to be well prepared and ready to pivot.
