Australia politics LIVE: question time resumes as PM prepares to address nation

Question time has begun in the House of Representatives.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to assure motorists that Australia’s fuel supply is secure, repeating a number of statements he made earlier this week.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor asked Albanese for updated information on delays or cancellations of fuel carriers bound for Australia.

Albanese said: “The advice that I gave to parliament on Monday was correct. Every single ship that was due to arrive here in March arrived. That is just a fact”.

He repeated that six of 81 ships bound for Australia in April were cancelled, but had been replaced by a surplus of three ships. He also said that additional fuel was being made available because of changes to standards.

“A range of further discussions will take place over future days, including over Easter. We’ll continue to engage with our partners. We’re a reliable supplier of energy security around our region. We expect that to be reciprocated.”

Question time has begun with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor asking Prime Minister Anthony Albanese what has changed overnight that has triggered an “address to the nation” this evening, which Taylor described as an “emergency” message.

This was Albanese’s reply:

Nothing has changed since yesterday, neither this government’s resolve to deal with issues of supply and cost of living, or the opposition’s approach to these issues.

Every single shipload of fuel that was due to come here in March arrived on schedule. That is absolutely true. And what is required at times like this is to be considered. To be orderly.”

Question time has begun in the House of Representatives.

Watch live below.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to announce soon a long-delayed crackdown on gambling advertising aimed at breaking the link between children and sports wagering.

Albanese has been under pressure from the opposition, independents and a wide range of civil society groups to overhaul wagering laws in response to an influential report from late Labor MP Peta Murphy.

More than 1000 days on from Murphy’s report, Labor’s reluctance to tackle the issue had turned into a totemic debate on Albanese’s willingness to take on powerful stakeholders in the name of social reform.

Several sources familiar with the government’s plans, unable to speak about them publicly, said Albanese had shifted and was set to announce a suite of policies, and that Communications Minister Anika Wells had made progress on the reform in recent weeks.

Read the full story here.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has told the states to “get their skates on” and come to an agreement on how to channel GST windfalls from the rising cost of petrol.

“We are doing our bit with the fuel excise and in other ways, and we need the states and territories to do their bit as well, in addition to some of the good developments we’ve seen in areas like Victoria and Tasmania when it comes to public transport fares, but we’re doing our bit, and we need them to do their bit,” Chalmers said.

Premiers and chief ministers on Monday agreed to not bank the GST windfall from inflated petrol prices, but did not come to an agreement on how it should be returned to taxpayers.

“Now, when the they signed up to this at the national cabinet, the prime minister did a good job making sure that the states and territories signed up to this commitment. We recognized that they needed to work out the best ways to deliver that relief,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver an “address to the nation” this evening at 7pm (AEDT) in which he will outline the government’s response to the war in the Middle East and encourage Australians to save fuel to support struggling industries.

The address will be simultaneously broadcast across all television and radio networks.

Similar addresses have been delivered during the COVID pandemic and the global financial crisis.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of another sitting day at Parliament House, Canberra.

Anthony Albanese will deliver an “address to the nation” this evening at 7pm, AEDT, in which he will encourage Australians to save fuel.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor says the Coalition will support the support measures the government announced this morning for small businesses.

Question time is due to kick-off in the House of Representatives at 2pm.

Nick Newling will bring you best colour and movement throughout the afternoon.