Transport

Students from across Wellington Shire have taken a hands-on step into the world of aviation, experiencing firsthand the career opportunities available right on their doorstep through an Aviation Taster Tour hosted by Wellington Shire Council. Sixteen secondary school students from three Wellington schools took part in the tour on Tuesday 17 March, travelling between West Sale Airport and the Longford Heliport.

The Albanese Government is helping Australia’s trucking industry manage the impacts of the war in the Middle East, ensuring truckies and transport operators are better protected from fuel price rises. With global uncertainty leading to significant impacts on our transport industry, our Government is taking practical action to support the truckies and transport operators who keep the Australian economy moving.

Professor Bhattacharya from Monash University says advancing domestic refining and feedstock technologies is critical to improving long-term fuel security. Monash engineers have developed a pyrolysis technology that converts end-of-life tyres and plastics into high-value liquid hydrocarbons, creating a new, circular source of refinery-ready feedstocks.

Yet drive through Perth and the metropolitan fuel system appears to be operating normally. No ration notices. No capped pumps. No anxious motorists sneaking jerry-cans into the back of Hiluxes ... something more curious is emerging: selective rationing.

Recent reports of fuel supply concerns and diesel shortages for trucks highlight a serious vulnerability in Australia’s transport system … This situation is a reminder that relying almost entirely on diesel-powered road transport is risky ... Regional railway lines could play an important role in strengthening supply chains.

There was also something about prioritising regional areas. What there was not was anything resembling a system to track where fuel shortages are actually occurring, or to require distributors to send fuel where it is most needed.

The Nationals WA Leader Shane Love MLA has blasted the Cook Labor Government as impotent in the face of Western Australia’s escalating diesel crisis, accusing it of failing to use the powers available to ensure fuel reaches the industries and communities that keep the State running.

A new national report has revealed many regional airports across Australia are operating at a financial loss, with local councils increasingly forced to subsidise infrastructure that regional communities rely on every day ... The survey of regional airports found more than half are operating at a loss, with a median annual deficit of $192,000.

The Roundtable of more than 50 industry and government leaders met ... to discuss the fuel issues affecting Australia from the conflict in the Middle East ... While the Federal Government is responsible for Australia’s fuel supply and has advised that national fuel stocks remain secure, the Roundtable agreed to immediate actions by the State Government to address local distribution issues and minimise price impacts for consumers.

Caitlin Menadue. Yorke Peninsula farmers, businesses and residents are grappling with the ongoing fuel crisis, as prices soar, independent retailers start to run dry and there’s no visible end in sight .... "Tractors, sprayers, seeders and trucks all rely on diesel to operate, and with seeding approaching it is essential that grain producers can access reliable fuel supplies."

CPA Australia warns today’s interest rate rise will deepen the cost-of-living crisis and make it tougher for many small businesses – particularly those heavily reliant on fuel. With fuel prices surging, inflation remaining stubborn across essential goods and services, and consumer confidence weak, households and businesses face a perfect storm of rising costs and weakened resilience.

When governments start calling emergency roundtables it usually means one thing: The planning should have happened years ago. Last week the Western Australian Government convened a “Fuel Security Roundtable” in response to supply disruptions linked to rising tensions in the Middle East.

Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP says the fuel supply pressure now being felt across regional New South Wales was foreseeable, avoidable, and made worse by a failure of planning at the federal and state level that he intends to keep pushing back against.

A fifth-generation family operation in Bulahdelah is absorbing a $7,800 weekly fuel surge to keep hardwood moving to Australia's cities. Federal Parliament is now asking why. Forest and Wood Communities Australia is warning that soaring regional fuel prices are threatening the hardwood supply chain that feeds building sites, mine shafts, vineyards, Australia's first green steel facility...

TasFarmers has warned that just as farmers grapple with a fuel supply crisis, alarm is now growing over surging farm fertiliser prices that could push food costs higher and deepen economic pressure ... TasFarmers President, Ian Sauer, said the impact would be felt across the core fertilisers farmers rely on to grow crops.

Statements from the Hon. Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, regarding releasing up to 20 per cent of the baseline Minimum Stockholding Obligation for petrol and diesel and temporarily amending Australia's fuel quality standards to allow higher sulfur levels for the next 60 days.

Right now across regional Western Australia something deeply concerning is unfolding. Farmers are being told their diesel deliveries have stopped. Some have been warned supply may not resume for weeks. Others cannot lock in deliveries at all. In some cases, operations have already ground to a halt simply because there is no fuel to run the machinery. This should alarm every Western Australian.

I’m continually amazed how many people can fly to Bali yet couldn’t point to it on a map. Ask them to name the countries that sit north of Indonesia and you’ll usually get a blank look. Yet geography still matters. In fact, it quietly dictates how the global economy works.

Austinn Lane. A large crowd gathered in Port Victoria and Wauraltee over the weekend to celebrate the community's 150th anniversary, marking a major milestone in the district's history ... locals, former residents and visitors from across the region, came together to recognise the town's heritage and close-knit community.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Pressure on fuel supplies has seen a Mallee area service station frequently used by Riverlanders run dry, and is adding to anxiety being felt by farmers and growers according to the region’s State MP. Karoonda’s independent service station was as of yesterday out of fuel, with shortages sparked by panic buying due to the war in the Middle East.

TasFarmers has warned “without fuel there is no food”, calling on governments to guarantee diesel supplies for agriculture and freight as global tensions push fuel prices sharply higher. Diesel prices in parts of Tasmania have risen from about $1.87 to more than $2.17 per litre in the past week, creating uncertainty for farmers, contractors and freight operators across the state.