Portfolio — 13 April 2026

Minister for Environment and Water Murray Watt used a media release on 13 April to address three distinct but connected pressures on Australia's resource and environmental portfolio, all framed against the backdrop of the Middle East crisis. The dominant theme was fuel security. Watt expressed disappointment at the weekend breakdown of US-Iran negotiations and restated the government's call for de-escalation, warning that further economic or military escalation would impose greater costs on Australian consumers [TA-260413-climat-b18670c72b74].

He noted that Foreign Minister Penny Wong is leading Australia's participation in international talks aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, positioning the fuel security response as a whole-of-government effort.

The most operationally significant announcement was the launch of a national advertising campaign titled "every little bit helps," directing Australians to reduce fuel consumption through practical steps such as removing unnecessary weight and roof racks from vehicles [TA-260413-climat-b18670c72b74]. Watt described the campaign as part of the National Fuel Security Plan's staged response.

The Opposition characterised the advertisements as taxpayer-funded political propaganda; Watt rejected that characterisation, arguing the campaign presents useful public information. He went further on the offensive, pointing to the previous government's record of allowing four of the country's six remaining oil refineries to close and its practice of holding emergency oil stockpiles overseas rather than domestically.

Watt declined to comment on whether a windfall tax on gas exports would feature in the Budget, due within approximately one month.

On critical minerals, Watt confirmed that Australia and the United States have progressed a $5 billion critical minerals framework [TA-260413-climat-b18670c72b74]. He was explicit that project approvals under this framework would be assessed on individual merits and would not receive blanket fast-tracking, with the government relying instead on streamlined environmental assessment regimes introduced through recent legislative reform.

That formulation is significant: it attempts to satisfy two audiences simultaneously — industry and alliance partners seeking faster project delivery, and environmental stakeholders concerned about assessment integrity.

The water portfolio dimension was also active. The National Farmers' Federation warned against proceeding with Murray-Darling Basin water buybacks during the Middle East crisis, citing pressure on agricultural supply chains. Watt pushed back, arguing that basin health serves agriculture's long-term interests and that the government's combination of buybacks and water efficiency investments protects both environmental and sectoral outcomes.

The NFF's intervention reflects the ongoing tension between short-term agricultural sector concerns and the government's environmental water recovery commitments under the Basin Plan.

Across all three areas — fuel supply, critical minerals, and water — the minister's communication consistently defended government-led intervention against Opposition or sectoral criticism while framing the Middle East crisis as the external driver requiring coordinated national response.