Canberra: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday urged de-escalation across West Asia and the prompt reopening of the essential Strait of Hormuz, insisting the key waterway stay exempt from tolls and privatisation during the persistent regional tensions.
In an X post after attending a virtual Leaders’ Summit on Strait of Hormuz freedom of navigation — co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer — Albanese highlighted unity among 49 nations on a shared strategy to secure navigation rights.
He stated, “Last night, I joined the Strait of Hormuz freedom of navigation summit. There were 49 countries participated. There was a consistent approach. We want to see de-escalation.”
Albanese further outlined the objectives: “We want to see the Strait of Hormuz opened and we want to see no privatisation and no tolls.”
Addressing Australians directly, he emphasised protective measures: “Our focus, of course, has also been on doing what we can to shield Australians from the worst of the impacts that are occurring right around the globe. We’re not immune. What we are doing, though, is making every effort that we can, leaving no stone unturned, to make sure that we defend Australia’s national interests. That’s what my government will continue to do.”
Meanwhile, Australia has enacted urgent steps to stabilise its fuel market. As reported by Al Jazeera, Energy Minister Chris Bowen extended relaxed fuel-quality rules until September to mitigate supply disruptions from the Iran conflict.
“I’ve decided to extend the period of higher sulphur for petrol in Australia,” Bowen said on Friday.
The adjustment permits up to 50 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur in fuel — five times the typical 10 ppm threshold — to alleviate constraints from West Asian route interruptions. Initially rolled out in March, it tackles localised shortages.
Al Jazeera also noted that Prime Minister Albanese toured three Asian nations this week to procure extra fuel reserves.
Albanese, speaking on Friday, hailed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but warned that a drawn-out conflict in the area could wreak havoc on the global economy and energy markets.
He said, “Overnight, I joined a virtual Leaders’ Summit on the Strait of Hormuz co-hosted by President Macron and Prime Minister Starmer. Australia has consistently called for an end to this conflict. The longer the war goes on, the more significant the impact on the global economy will be, and the greater the human cost.”
