The 2026 Iran war, which disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pushed fuel prices up sharply from March. Early polls were strongly negative on the government's handling of fuel (59% dissatisfied in Freshwater's late-March poll), but this eased by late April (47%), and many voters blamed the war or President Trump rather than Canberra. The fuel excise cut (83% approval in Roy Morgan) and bigger fuel reserves (74% in favour in Lowy) are popular. Nuclear power divides opinion, with support moving between about 40% and 55% in Essential's polling.
The government's handling of fuel prices
Freshwater Strategy: Satisfied or dissatisfied with the federal government's response to the rise in fuel prices.
ABS: fuel prices rose 32.8% in March 2026 as the Iran war disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. (abc.net.au)
The government announced a National Fuel Security Plan and halved the fuel excise for three months. (en.wikipedia.org)
Roy Morgan: 83% approved of the temporary fuel excise cut; 64% were not satisfied with how the government was managing the fuel shortage; 48% had reduced their driving. (roymorgan.com)
The government announced an east coast gas reservation scheme: LNG exporters must supply 20% of export production to the domestic market from July 2027. (energymagazine.com.au)
Lowy: 74% favoured spending about $20 billion to raise emergency fuel reserves to 90 days. (poll.lowyinstitute.org)
With the excise relief removed, Brisbane unleaded averaged 199.2 cents a litre, the highest of the five largest capitals. (abc.net.au)