Australian motorists are not likely to receive any help with the sky-high petrol prices as the federal government will not halt fuel excise tax in next month’s federal budget. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the fuel price was a global issue as crude oil just surged to over US$100 a barrel due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict escalating to an all-out war. “The advice we are getting, particularly out of the International Energy Agency, is that this impact is likely to be short-term, it’s likely to be temporary,” Morrison told the Nine Network on Feb. 24. “You don’t go and completely recalibrate your budget based on fluctuations in oil prices.” Rod Sims, the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, told the National Press Club on Feb. 23 that since Australia had the fourth-lowest petrol taxation worldwide, he would advise against the government taking any action to rectify the situation. …