Australia to attend Paris talks on reopening Strait of Hormuz as energy crisis ripples at home
Australia will join dozens of countries at emergency talks in Paris on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as global energy turmoil spills into domestic pressures from airline schedules to frontline services. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said Australia is sending a representative to the summit, co-chaired by the United Kingdom and France.
The International Energy Agency said it is ready to approve a second release of global oil reserves, citing worsening supply strains. OPEC has reported a drop in oil production in March and damage to more than 80 oil and gas facilities across the Middle East. Agency head Faith Birrol told an Atlantic Council event that the stockpiles are a stopgap.
“This is not a solution. This is just reducing the pain, even though it was the biggest oil stock release that I announced 11th of March… I very much hope we don’t need to do it. But if it is needed, we are ready to act immediately.” The crunch is already being felt in Australia’s skies.
Qantas said it will cut some domestic services as jet fuel costs surge, noting prices have more than doubled since US‑Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February. The airline now expects to spend $3.3 billion on jet fuel in the first half of its financial year and said reductions will mostly affect high-frequency routes between capital cities flown by larger aircraft across Qantas and Jetstar.
On the ground, Victoria’s firefighters say soaring fuel prices are hitting brigades’ budgets. United Firefighters Union state branch secretary Peter Marshall said requests to the state government for a higher fuel allowance have not been supported and the union is filing an application with the Fair Work Commission.
“They’re expecting firefighters not to have a pay increase for five years and on top of that they have another hit into the family budget… the increase with fuel is around 60 per cent,” he said, adding the allowance “has been cut by half.” National politics also sharpened on migration.
A hardline proposal unveiled by Opposition Leader Angus Taylor to place greater scrutiny on people seeking to come to Australia from countries that are not Western liberal democracies drew swift criticism from the government and crossbench. Labor frontbencher Pat Conroy described the speech as dog‑whistling aimed at voters drifting to One Nation, while independent MP Zali Steggall warned it could fuel hateful and divisive narratives.
Greens immigration spokesperson David Shoebridge said the approach showed an opposition “captured by extremists,” arguing Australia’s diversity is a strength. In Victoria, Premier Jacinta Allan named four new ministers after the departure of four senior colleagues ahead of the November state election.
Following factional negotiations, Luba Grigorovitch, Paul Edbrooke, Michaela Settle and Paul Hamer were elected unopposed to replace retiring ministers Mary‑Anne Thomas, Danny Pearson, Gayle Tierney and Natalie Hutchins. Labor has never won a fourth successive term in Victoria, though the government notes it oversaw a similar exodus before the 2022 election and still won resoundingly.
Allan said the government will make the case that it remains the best option for voters. Attention now turns to the Paris summit’s prospects for easing supply risks. The IEA says it stands ready to act “immediately” if needed, while domestic stakeholders from airlines to emergency services watch for relief on fuel costs.
The union’s application to the Fair Work Commission and the unfolding debate over migration point to a politically charged period ahead of state and federal contests.