Mostafa Rachwani with you this morning, taking you through the day’s news.
We begin with federal politics, with reports this morning that the prime minister, Scott Morrison, is facing pressure from state leaders to cut some of the government’s petrol and diesel excise, as fuel prices skyrocket.
Speaking to Channel Nine yesterday, Morrison did not rule out cutting the excise, repeatedly referring to the federal budget due at the end of the month.
Petrol prices have soared to up to $2.20 a litre, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US decision to ban importation of Russian oil.
Elsewhere, the opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, has drawn level with the prime minister in the latest Newspoll results for the first time in nearly two years.
The Australian reported the results, which showed Labor maintaining a six-point lead over the Coalition. Albanese yesterday told 60 Minutes he was “hungry†for victory in the upcoming federal election.
In New South Wales, the SMH is reporting that the state government requested Australia Defence Force personnel to aid flood-affected communities in northern NSW up to five days before media reports of troops heading there.
It comes after NewsCorp reported on Sunday that the NSW government had actually rejected offers from the ADF to help, in a sign of escalating tensions between the NSW and federal governments as to why there was a delay in responding to the floods.
Meanwhile, the NSW transport network is still under pressure today, with delays and cancellations due to flood damage to track works. It comes as industrial action by the Electrical Trades Union is due to begin today, preventing members from doing certain maintenance across the network, potentially increasing delays.
We’ll also be keeping an eye on Covid numbers today, and on ongoing discussions around the flood response, as well as everything else happening across the country.
