ISTANBUL

Australians were urged Wednesday to switch to public transport as the armed conflict in the Middle East hit energy supplies to much of Asia.

Warning “months ahead may not be easy,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a rare national address to Australians, said: “if you are hitting the road, don’t take more fuel than you need.”

“If you can switch to catching the train or bus or tram to work, do so. That builds our reserves and it saves fuel for people,” Albanese said, as Australia has already begun using its strategic reserves.

Canberra has also ordered emergency fuel reserves from the US for the first time in decades.

Australia procured just 2% of its energy products, worth $37 billion in 2024, from the Middle East, and has already halved its fuel tax.

“We are working to bring the price of fuel down, to make more fuel here, and to keep it onshore,” he said, adding that the war in the Middle East has caused "the biggest hikes in petrol and diesel prices in history."

“And get more fuel here, using our strong trading relationships with our region to bring more petrol, diesel, and fertilizer to Australia,” said Albanese, noting that “no government can promise to eliminate pressures that this war is causing.”

“These are uncertain times, but I am absolutely certain of this: we will deal with these challenges in the Australian way, working together and looking after each other, as we always have,” he stressed.

Albanese said that while Australia "is not an active participant" in the ongoing war in the Middle East, "all Australians are paying higher prices because of it."

Regional escalation in the Middle East has continued since Israel and the US launched an offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and infrastructure damage while disrupting global markets and aviation.

​​​​​​​At least 13 US servicemen have been killed and dozens of others wounded in the ongoing armed conflict.

Iran has maintained effective control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for energy supplies to Asian nations.