Qantas cuts Jetstar services to New Zealand amid rising jet fuel prices, 8 per cent of country’s service station missing one or more fuel grades

Qantas has announced Jetstar will cut some of its critical New Zealand flights, citing a rise in the cost of jet fuel. In a statement, a Jetstar New Zealand spokeswoman said “temporary changes” had been made to the trans-Tasman schedule due to the soaring prices, as a direct result of the Middle East conflict and “other rising costs”. “All impacted passengers have been contacted directly, and most have been offered same-day travel,” the spokeswoman continued. “We are sorry for the inconvenience and thank our customers for their understanding.” The Australian Financial Review reports more than 55 flights have been cut from the route, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Some include routes between Auckland and Sydney and from Sydney to Queenstown, via Melbourne. Adjustments in the schedule have been made to optimise the airline’s fleet across the network due to engineering and fleet requirements, the carrier said. Flights on select routes are being adjusted to allow travellers to get as close to their original flight times as possible. Customers are able to contact the airline and discuss their option via the chat function. Meanwhile, Industry Minister Tim Ayres revealing 8 per cent of service stations nationwide are without one or more grades of fuel. That means as many as 560 stations across Australia are missing either diesel, petrol or both on Tuesday. Addressing question time, Energy Minister Chris Bowen gave a state-by-state breakdown of the fuel crisis. In NSW, out of 2417 service stations, 164 were without diesel and 289 were without at least one type of fuel, he said. In Queensland, out of 1800 service stations, 55 were without diesel and 35 with no regular unleaded. In Victoria, out of 1627 service stations, 162 service stations with without one or more fuel unavailable. In South Australia, out of 700 service stations, 46 service stations without one or more grades of fuel, while in Western Australia, out of 771 service stations, six service stations were without stock. In Tasmania, out of 257 stations, only one had no diesel, while six had no unleaded. The Northern Territory and the ACT have no outages. Bowen under fire over fuel Mr Bowen revealed the Albanese government would also lower the technical threshold for diesel for six months, known as the flashpoint for diesel, increasing diesel supply options from refiners and international fuel sources. The flashpoint will be lowered from 61.5C to 60.5C. The Energy Minister has borne the brunt of the Coalition’s ire over the fuel crisis. Asked whether the if any state or territory ministers have asked the government to prepare a fuel rationing plan, Mr Bowen said he had met with state and territory energy ministers last week and issued a communique - which “is not a secret document”. Pressed again on the question, Mr Bowen told Liberal National Party MP Leon Rebello to “refer to my previous answer”. He also confirmed bunker fuel, a specialist maritime oil, was not included in the release of the government’s minimum stock obligation. Mr Bowen said the government was also engaging with the maritime sector over the fuel. “We were able make a condition of the release of some of the minimum stock obligation prioritising maritime also apply for cargo and passenger vehicles,” he said. Treasurer Jim Chalmers told parliament the government was not considering pausing the fuel excise. The excise adds about 52 cents per litre to the price of petrol, but is not adjusted in-line with price changes. “When it comes to the excise … it is not something we have been considering,” he said. “We have been working very hard to provide cost-of-living relief in the most responsible way we can”, he continued, noting tax cuts. He also rebuffed a question form independent MP Dai Le about whether the government would half the excise, referring her to his previous answer. ‘No fuel’ website It comes as the Coalition launched a “no fuel finder” website on Tuesday, though key questions about the service remain. That afternoon, Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie accused the government of being “flat-footed” in its response to the fuel crisis. “So, in the efforts of being constructive and the efforts of bipartisanship, the opposition has set up a no fuel here website so that local community members can assist Chris Bowen to understand where those supply gaps are, so that he can actually use the powers he has under the legislation to direct supply where it’s needed,” she said. The website is already live and will allow Australians to report which stations have run out of fuel, or where “the price is too high”. However, it was not immediately clear what protections if any were in place to ensure information being fed into the website was accurate. Asked about similar inaccurate apps during the pandemic that led to panic buying, Senator McKenzie said the fuel website was not publicly reporting where shortages were. “We live in these communities, and we know these servo operators and owners, and we want to keep their commercial data sensitive,” she said. “It’s a repository for a lot of community angst out there that feel there is no where to go for the anxiety that families and businesses are feeling when they rock up to a servo.” Senator McKenzie said there was “no hotline you can call”, and claimed Energy Minister Chris Bowen had “no mechanism” for getting information on shortages.” “So this legit is information that we are happy to supply to the minister, at a confidential status, about which service station, in which community, suburb or town is running short or where the prices are running,” she said. Clash over fuel Earlier, Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth clashed with Michaelia Cash over the Albanese government’s handling of the Iran fuel crisis, telling the firebrand senator she “didn’t hear any solutions”. Appearing on the Today show on Tuesday, Ms Rishworth said Australia faced a “very uncertain and difficult time”. “But, I want to reassure Australians that we still have fuel coming to this country, and our government is working around the clock to secure that supply,” she said. That included working with state and territory governments to ensure fuel was “getting where it's needed”, Mr Rishworth said. However, when pressed on whether Australia could guarantee supplies from Asian refineries, Ms Rishworth said the government was “working very hard to secure supply”. “What I’m saying, Karl, is there is an uncertain time,” she told host Karl Stefanovic. “We don’t know how long this war is going to go on for. We don’t know what assets might be attacked in any one day.” Senator Cash responded by claiming Australians were “more confused than ever”, and three weeks ago the government was “denying there was a problem”. “This is a government that two weeks ago were blaming Australians, and just recently, they’ve discovered that, yes, there is a national fuel crisis in Australia,” she said. Senator Cash said there was a practical measure available to the government: “Why don’t we get petrol to those actual petrol stations that have run out of fuel? “If fuel supplies are strong, the issue is actually a practical one. It is getting the fuel to Australians.” She continued: “Karl, perhaps Minister Bowen needs to drive the tanker himself”. “I didn’t hear any solutions from Michaelia,” Ms Rishworth snapped back. Senator Cash replied: “Seriously Amanda, excuses.” The government last week appointed a fuel taskforce co-ordinator. It says the states and territories are responsible for fuel distribution, though Energy Minister Chris Bowen on Sunday admitted six of 81 expected fuel ships had been cancelled. The government has also released some of its emergency holdings and temporarily lowered the sulphur content standard. State’s plane for free travel NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane on Tuesday called on the state Labor government to provide free public transport over the Easter long weekend in response to surging fuel prices. “This will be a hard Easter for many NSW families, with fuel costs skyrocketing and already stretched household budgets under more pressure,” Ms Sloane said. “Free public transport over the long weekend puts money back in families’ pockets when they need it most.” Nationals leader Gurmesh Singh said regional XPT and TrainLink coaches should be included. “For families in regional NSW, the Easter long weekend often means a long drive, and now, an expensive one,” Mr Singh said. “Free travel on XPT and TrainLink coaches gives regional families a real alternative .” The move was supported by Business NSW. Executive director Paul Nicolau said increased public transport use over Easter would deliver a much-needed boost to local businesses. “This is a win-win for Sydney. More people using public transport means more foot traffic and greater spending across our retail outlets, pubs, clubs, cafes, restaurants, arts and entertainment venues at a time when many businesses need it most,” he said in a statement. Union calls for WFH The Finance Services Union on Tuesday said it had written to employers requesting they suspend any “in-office requirements and allow you to determine your own flexible work arrangements”. “We’re living in uncertain times right now, and we understand many FSU members are feeling anxious about the global situation and what increasing cost-of-living pressures will mean,” the union said in a statement. “Unfortunately, these pressures are predicted to only get worse as the war in the Middle East continues. With surging fuel prices and transport cost, and cost-of-living pressures, suspending office attendance requirements was a “reasonable and practical measure that your employer can take right now to help keep your costs down”, the union said. “What’s more, finance workers have demonstrated that we can perform our roles effectively by working from home without disrupting workplace operations. We did it during the Covid pandemic, and we have continued to do so since,” it said. “We have asked your employer to urgently consider our request and respond within a week.”