Australia halves fuel excise, suspends heavy vehicle charge
→ Australia cut petrol and diesel excise rates by 50% effective April 1 through June 30, 2026, and suspended the heavy vehicle charge for three months.
Australia
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Australia
Australia halves fuel excise; Victoria and Tasmania offer free public transport
→ Australia cut the national fuel excise by 26.3 cents per litre for three months, and Victoria and Tasmania implemented free public transport (Victoria for April; Tasmania until the end of June).
Australia
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Yara shuts Pilbara ammonia plant for two months
→ Yara closed its Pilbara ammonia plant after a power outage damaged critical systems, taking offline roughly 850,000 tonnes-per-year of ammonia production and delaying restart until at least late May 2026.
Australia
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European Union and Australia sign free trade pact and agree defense partnership
→ The European Union and Australia signed the final text of a free trade agreement in Canberra and opened negotiations for Australia to become an associate member of the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
Australia
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China bans diesel, petrol and jet fuel exports
→ China banned exports of diesel, petrol and jet fuel until at least the end of March, curtailing shipments that totalled about US$22 billion in 2025.
China
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Australia mandates age verification for online adult content
→ Australia requires online platforms to verify users are over 18 before they can access adult content, obliging firms to adopt checks such as facial recognition, digital identity or credit‑card verification and exposing non‑compliant operators to million‑dollar fines from Monday.
Australia
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New South Wales enacts strict gun laws and terrorist symbol ban after deadly Bondi Beach shooting
→ New South Wales limits gun ownership and bans terrorist symbols after a deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
Australia
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Turkiye assumes COP31 presidency and hosts summit in Antalya
→ Turkiye will host next year’s COP31 summit in Antalya and assume the official presidency of the meeting.
Turkey
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U.K., Canada and Australia recognize Palestinian state
→ The U.K., Canada and Australia formally recognized the State of Palestine.
Israel
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