By Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY, April 1 (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver a rare address to the nation on Wednesday about the war in the Middle East, with media reporting he will encourage Australians to conserve fuel.
The address will be broadcast simultaneously across major television and radio networks at 7 p.m. (0800 GMT). Similar addresses were made by previous prime ministers during the COVID pandemic and the 2008 global financial crisis.
"Australian prime ministers traditionally address the nation in times of great challenge," Housing Minister Clare O'Neil said in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday when asked about the address.
"The prime minister will be talking about the status of what's going on in Iran and the plans that the government has to protect the Australian community from the worst."
A spokesperson for Albanese declined to comment on the contents of the address.
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The month-long conflict in the Middle East has spread across the region, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin.
Albanese said on Monday the government would halve the excise on petrol and diesel and remove the heavy-road-user charge for three months to help households cope with a surge in costs driven by the war, at a cost to the government of around A$2.55 billion ($1.75 billion).
Australia has its highest fuel stocks in 15 years, but they are still far below International Energy Agency recommendations of 90 days.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Wednesday small businesses affected by the war would be given easier access to credit.
"We know that the fallout is affecting everyone, but we believe that by working together, if everybody does their bit, we can get through this difficult period," Chalmers told reporters.
(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates)
