Doorstop, Parliament House

SUBJECTS: Middle East conflict; Defence capability; Budget; Fuel supply and prices

JOURNALIST: Minister, can you give us an idea of what is happening at Woomera at the moment, in terms of testing?

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Look, I'm not going to go into details of what testing we do at Woomera. Obviously, we do a lot of testing around new capabilities, and we do a lot of testing with our partners around the world. But I won't go into details of that.

JOURNALIST: Is it hypersonic?

MARLES: Again, I'm not going to go into the details of the testing.

JOURNALIST: Minister, we have heard overnight that Donald Trump is in talks with the Iranian regime about ending the war. Keir Starmer, the UK Prime Minister, says the UK was informed about these talks. Has Australia been told anything?

MARLES: Look again. I'm not going to go into a running commentary of what the President has said. I mean, we are focused on our national interest here, and we see that very much in terms of making the contribution that we are to the defence of the Gulf states, particularly the UAE, with the presence of our E-7. And that's very much the focus of our engagement.

JOURNALIST: We are halfway through the four‑week deployment of the Wedgetail. Do you expect it would be extended? Have there been other requests for assistance?

MARLES: So in answer the first question, we'll take that as it goes. It was, as you say, for an initial four‑week deployment, but we will assess that as we get closer to the end of the period. As I said, at the time of announcing the deployment of the E-7, we have had other requests, and of course, you know, you've seen that in terms of the provision of the AMRAAMs to the UAE as well. But we've had other requests, and we've had requests from the United States, particularly in respect of the defence of countries of the Gulf. What we are doing in the provision of the E-7 and the provision of the AMRAAMs is very much responding to the specific requests of the United Arab Emirates, but it is contributing to the defence of the Gulf.

JOURNALIST: Would the Navy have the capacity to send a ship to the Middle East? Like, are we actually able to do that, and will we find it harder to contribute to this type of mission as the Anzac-class is retired?

MARLES: We have a highly capable Navy – let me make that clear. However this plays out, it is not a question of Navy capability. We have signed on to the statement that has been led by the United Kingdom in respect of the Strait of Hormuz, and we will work with our friends and allies around –

JOURNALIST: What could that involve for Australia?

MARLES: Look, I am not going to speculate on that now. We will work through that with our friends and allies. But I make the point that, you know, we have an E-7 which is in the region now, which is a very significant commitment, which is making a real contribution to the defence of the Gulf states.

JOURNALIST: A budget question, if I can? Reports are this morning that you're considering a road user charge in the budget. Do you believe Australians are ready for a reform like that, given we've seen a shift towards EVs the last couple of years, and then particularly in the wake of the fuel price pain that we've seen in the last couple of weeks?

MARLES: Yeah, look, the last thing I'm going to do is start speculating about what will be in the budget. The budget will be handed down in May, so in due course, people will see what's there. And I'm not going to speculate on that.

JOURNALIST: Minister, do you think your government's been clear enough with Australians about the fuel crisis and what they could be facing as it gets worse in the next few months?

MARLES: I think we've been very clear about the situation in respect of fuel. The Energy Minister could not have been more transparent in terms of both the situation in respect of vessels coming to Australia with fuel, but also the situation in respect of service stations around the country and the availability of fuel there. And so we are working through this situation. I mean, obviously, you know, at the heart of this lies the question of how long this conflict goes, and that's not a question that we are able to answer. But there are a whole range of scenarios which may ensue. We are working through all of those, and we are making those decisions prudently.

JOURNALIST: Can motorists anticipate any sort of cost‑of‑living relief in terms of fuel prices before the budget?

MARLES: Well, again, since you are asking me to speculate about what plays out in respect of the conflict, or alternatively, what will be in the budget. And I'm not going to speculate about either of those. What we will do is work through this in a methodical and prudent way – we will work through this, and we will make these decisions as we go along.

JOURNALIST: Prices at the moment are unmanageable. I mean, in the short term, in the next week or two weeks, is there a possibility of an announcement of some sort of cost‑of‑living measure when it comes to fuel prices?

MARLES: Look, I'm not going to speculate on that. I mean, what we're seeing in relation to fuel is obviously being seen around the world, and it's a function of what's going on in the Middle East. We are working very clearly on making sure that the supply‑side question is dealt with in the here and now. That's why we have released some of the nation's stockpile. We're focusing on getting that to areas where it's needed most, and that's particularly in the regions. That's the issue that we are focused on right now, and we will continue to work through this.

JOURNALIST: On this joint statement to protect the Strait of Hormuz, what does that commitment actually look like from Australia in terms of military assets?

MARLES: Well, again, we'll work through that with our friends and partners in respect of that statement. And obviously it's going to be a function of what plays out in respect of the conflict in the Middle East. But that's a question that we'll work through then. But I come back to what I said before: I mean, we right now have the presence of our E-7, which is operating to protect the states of the Gulf. That is a very significant commitment to that region, and we will work through with our partners about how best we can contribute in respect of the Strait of Hormuz. Thank you.

ENDS