Live: Shadow treasurer indicates Coalition support for new WA oil refinery

Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson has indicated the Coalition would support construction of a new oil refinery in Western Australia.Follow all the updates in our live blog. Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:48amTue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:48amOutgoing ACTU president defends handling of CFMEU controversiesAustralian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Michele O'Neil has defended the handling of controversies in the CFMEU's Victorian branch.O'Neil and ACTU Secretary Sally McManus have announced their resignations to ''make way for a new generation''.McManus has been the peak body's secretary since 2017 and the O'Neil has been its president since 2018.Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, O'Neil says she thinks herself and McManus "drew a line" under the behaviour."Workers who work in the construction industry around this country are, by and large, hard-working, good people who work in tough and dangerous jobs," O'Neil says."They deserve a union that is completely free of any violence or corruption or organised crime."Sally and I, but in fact the whole of the ACTU executive drew a line and said, this is unacceptable. We will not stand by and see a union that's been infiltrated by people whose interest was themselves."Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:30amTue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:30amNew WA oil refinery would still rely on imported crude oil, minister saysAs we've been reporting, the Commonwealth and WA governments will undertake a $4 million feasibility study for a new large-scale oil refinery.Resources Minister Madeleine King says the new facility will aim to secure Australia's supply of refined fuel.Speaking to ABC's AM program, King says Australia will still need to import crude oil to refine.However, she says crude oil can be stored for much longer than imported refined fuel, which can be a "critical difference" in times of crisis."WA is now left without any fuel refining capacity after the closure of BP and Kwinana in 2021. So that is a really important initiative that we will look at where this could go," King says."The difference with crude oil, the unrefined product, is that it is storable and storable for much, much longer, almost permanently, than refined petroleum."Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:22amTue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:22amGovernment still weighing up fuel excise cut extension, resources minister saysMadeleine King says the federal government is still weighing up whether to extend the fuel excise cut which is due to expire on August 2.Oil prices tipped over $US100 ($143) a barrel last week for the first time since May.And Treasury has warned Jim Chalmers that the economic risks from the continuation of the war in the Middle East are increasing.Speaking to ABC's AM program, King says the conflict in the Middle East is spreading and is causing instability in the global energy market."The government is very much aware of the pressure increase in fuel prices does put on Australian families and we have taken action in the past and we'll continue to monitor how these prices do affect people and seek to deliver that kind of relief as best we can," King says.She wouldn't be drawn on whether the government would consider further concessions for diesel, but not for petrol.Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:09amTue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:09amTim Wilson indicates Coalition support for new oil refinery in WAShadow Treasurer Tim Wilson has indicated the Coalition would support construction of a new oil refinery in Western Australia.The Commonwealth and WA government will conduct a $4 million feasibility study to examine building a new oil refinery.If construction of the facility proceeds, it will be the first new large-scale petrol refinery built in Australia since the 1960s.Speaking to Channel Nine, Wilson says the Coalition wants to see the details first before committing to a position."It's been a long time and we've already had multiple reports of oil crises just this year," Wilson says."It would be nice to see the government take some action. We've already announced a doubling of our fuel reserve to 60 days because we see this crisis as real and unfortunately we can't say that this is going to be the end of it."Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:04amTue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:04amGood morning 👋Hello and welcome to our federal politics live blog! It's great to have you join us on this chilly Tuesday morning.I'm Josh Boscaini joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today's federal politics news.The Commonwealth and WA governments will jointly fund a $4 million feasibility study to examine building a new oil refinery.Australia has two remaining oil refineries, and the addition of a facility would aim to boost supply of the nation's fuel refining capabilities.Away we go!!!