The Coalition has proposed an automatic fuel tax cut whenever international oil prices surge, putting the policy at odds with the Albanese government’s decision not to introduce another reduction in fuel excise.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor announced the Coalition’s “Fuel Price Shield” on Sunday, saying it could reduce petrol and diesel prices by as much as 27 cents a litre and save motorists roughly $15 on a standard tank.

Under the proposal, the fuel excise would be cut by half if the two-week average closing price of Brent crude rose above US$100 a barrel.

Taylor said the measure would give Australian households and businesses protection from international energy shocks capable of driving up costs across the economy.

The plan would also temporarily reduce the heavy vehicle road user charge to zero. The Coalition says that would ease pressure on trucking companies and eventually help bring down freight expenses passed on to supermarkets and consumers.

“When global events send oil prices through the roof, Australians should know there is a clear automatic safeguard in place to provide temporary and targeted relief,” Taylor said.

The excise cut would remain in effect until the eight-week average price of Brent crude fell below US$100 a barrel, or for three months, whichever came first. The government could choose to extend the measure.

Coalition analysis suggests the mechanism would have been activated only twice over the past five years: during the oil price shock in early 2022 and again in March 2026.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers quickly rejected the proposal on Sunday, describing it as an “uncapped” and “unfunded” policy that could leave taxpayers facing billions of dollars in lost revenue.

Speaking on News24 on Sunday morning, Chalmers said the Opposition had not explained how it would finance the plan.

“That’s what makes it uncapped and unfunded,” he said.

“That’s why he can’t tell us how much it costs, how he’ll pay for it.”

Chalmers also claimed the announcement was driven by political pressure on Taylor rather than a credible response to economic conditions.

“I think what we’ve seen overnight from Angus Taylor is more about polling numbers than petrol prices,” he said.

“He is under very serious political pressure and that matters much more to him than the cost-of-living pressures that people are feeling around the country.”

Chalmers nevertheless confirmed that Labor is not currently considering another fuel excise cut, despite having intervened previously when global energy prices climbed sharply.

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The Albanese government’s temporary fuel excise reduction during the recent US-Iran conflict cost about $2.5 billion over three months before the measure was withdrawn.

Chalmers said Labor was now focusing on permanent cost-of-living relief through tax cuts and wage growth.

The Coalition estimates the Fuel Price Shield would cost around $950million for every month it operates. 

Taylor said the policy would be funded by another Coalition promise, an 80 per cent cut to tobacco excise. 

‘The cut to tobacco excise will raise $8billion of funding,’ he said.

‘We worked through that with the Parliamentary Budget Office and that will fully fund the cut to the fuel excise.’

Taylor said the plan would be ‘anti-inflationary’, as it would ease transport costs and help motorists when prices approach $3 per litre.

The Coalition says the ACCC would monitor wholesale and retail prices to ensure consumers benefit.

AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said the Coalition’s proposal would likely prove politically popular but questioned whether it would provide anything more than temporary relief.

 He described fuel excise cuts as a ‘Band-Aid solution’ and a ‘sugar hit’ that reduce prices in the short term without addressing the underlying causes of higher fuel costs.

‘The main beneficiaries are often those driving bigger, less fuel-efficient vehicles, who tend to be higher-income earners,’ he told the Daily Mail. 

Dr Oliver argued a more targeted approach would be preferable, including relief for truck drivers, farmers and low-income households. 

While he backed the proposal to abolish the heavy vehicle road user charge during oil price shocks, he said broad fuel tax cuts could undermine market signals that encourage consumers to reduce fuel use or switch to alternatives such as electric vehicles.

‘If fuel prices remain elevated for a long period, all this really does is delay the adjustment that eventually has to occur,’ he said. 

‘It’s a short-term measure that provides relief, but it doesn’t solve the underlying problem.’

Football great Matthew Lloyd has called on the AFL to respond to the behaviour of Hawthorn players after fresh footage captured the heated aftermath of the umpiring decision that ended the Hawks’ season.

Hawthorn endured a second consecutive preliminary final defeat on Saturday night, going down to the Brisbane Lions 20.11 (131) to 19.8 (122) at the MCG.

The contest turned in Brisbane’s favour when Hawthorn defender Jarman Impey was penalised for holding the ball. The free kick allowed Lions star Hugh McCluggage to kick the match-winning goal with just 18 seconds remaining.

A Fox Sports commentator labelled the decision “the biggest call you have ever seen”.

The ruling sparked a furious reaction from the tens of thousands of Hawthorn supporters at the MCG, with bottles thrown towards the umpires as they made their way from the field.

Fan-recorded footage has since emerged showing Hawthorn defender Tom Barrass running about 50 metres to confront umpire Hayden Meyer, who made the controversial call.

Former Essendon star Lloyd said the AFL should consider sanctioning Barrass and teammate James Sicily, who was also seen remonstrating with Meyer.

“This is something I’d expect to watch in soccer,” Lloyd said on The Sunday Footy Show.

“They get in the face of referees and it’s aggressive, like [Sicily and Barrass] were.

“So I think they should both be potentially sanctioned; or we want a please explain for those two players and how they handled it.”

Lloyd said there was “no doubt” the pair had overreacted, describing their conduct as aggressive.

Hawthorn great Luke Hodge also condemned the actions of fans, who forced umpires to avoid bottles and cans thrown from the stands as they left the ground.

“The umpires are walking off, they should not have things thrown at them. A bottle has come down from the top tier,” he said.

Many football fans echoed Hodge’s criticism on social media, with one user writing: “Disgraceful. Should be life bans dished out.”

Another fan wrote: “That’s not the way, boys. Not our night but shouldn’t be doing that.”

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A third described the scenes as “embarrassing” and “disgraceful”, adding that the AFL needed to take strong action against such behaviour.

Coach Sam Mitchell impressively kept his emotions in check throughout a fraught post-game media conference, where he spoke of mourning.

‘This feeling is the pits,’ Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he did not know about Sicily and Barrass going to the umpires, but he was aware of the bottles being thrown onto the ground.

‘At the end of the game, part of me wanted to break down in tears, part of me wanted to scream with rage, part of me wanted to throw chairs, you don’t know how to react,’ he said.

‘So when you’re in the stand, you need to continue to be feeling that emotion, because that’s why we love it, but how it manifests itself – we shouldn’t be throwing things on the field and doing those types of things.

‘But the passion in the stand and the passion of the game is why we love it so much. So I hope that for the vast majority it was felt responsibly.’

Mitchell spoke of grief and added it was too soon to think beyond what had just happened.

‘I think we’re in a mourning phase. What’s the first part, is it anger? I think I’m still half in anger, probably sense it in my body language,’ he said.

‘What else, what’s after anger? I don’t know, last is acceptance and – I nearly said a bad word – I’m a long way from acceptance right now.

‘I will sit in anger for a bit longer, I’m sure all the players will too.’

Before they left the MCG for the last time this season, Mitchell brought his players into a tight group.

‘It was just, “Remember this”. There’s nothing more raw than that five minutes straight after the siren, when it hurts the most,’ Meek said of Mitchell’s message.

‘Remember the burn and the outrage and how frustrating it is – because that will be our fuel. We have a big pre-season ahead.’

Mitchell spoke of his great pride in the Hawks, who staged an outstanding comeback in the final quarter.

But in the end, it came to nothing.

‘If you want to strive for great things, you will open yourself up for all sorts of emotion, the greatest of joy, and the deepest of pain,’ he said.

Andy Burnham is considering an early general election as the Treasury confronts a worsening public-finance crisis and ministers weigh tax increases, Labour sources have claimed.

Chancellor John Healey is examining a range of measures aimed at higher earners ahead of next month’s Budget.

The Treasury is seeking to raise an additional £10billion to £15billion. Options under review include increases to capital gains and corporation tax, windfall levies on banks and oil companies, and an expanded mansion tax.

A straightforward increase in income tax is also being considered because it would be simple to implement. However, that move would break Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitment.

An election could therefore be called within the next six months, allowing the Prime Minister to seek a new mandate without remaining bound by pledges on income tax, VAT or National Insurance. Mr Burnham inherited a parliamentary term from Sir Keir Starmer that is due to run until 2029.

Labour’s position in the polls has improved modestly since Mr Burnham entered No 10 in July. An early contest could also allow him to capitalise on Nigel Farage’s difficulties over his party’s finances.

The timing would further take advantage of the Conservative Party’s continuing efforts to rebuild.

Yet campaigning on a platform of higher taxes would give opposition parties an immediate and potentially powerful line of attack.

The proposed tax measures have emerged after the Treasury’s so-called fiscal headroom—the surplus kept as protection against a future economic shock—was estimated to have fallen from £23billion to just £5billion this year.

Higher government borrowing costs, combined with the Iran conflict’s impact on energy prices and inflation, have contributed to the sharp deterioration.

One source said: “They are having a meltdown in there [the Treasury].”

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The source added: “The numbers are getting worse by the day. The markets like to see a ‘2’ in front of the headroom figure, and that seems a long way off. And the easiest way to sort it is off the table.”

A one-pence increase in income tax is estimated to generate roughly £7billion for the Treasury.

The source said Rachel Reeves, Mr Healey’s predecessor, had wanted to increase income tax to reassure financial markets, but concluded that the move was politically unworkable.

Among the proposals being assessed by Mr Healey is an “exit tax” that would charge people leaving the UK for a lower-tax country 20 per cent on their business assets.

Those who remained in the UK could then face a super-rich levy of 2 per cent a year on assets worth more than £10million. The proposal is modelled on France’s wealth tax, which remained in force until 2018.

France’s Impôt de Solidarité sur la Fortune, or ISF, was a progressive annual tax ranging from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent. It applied when an individual’s net wealth exceeded €1.3million.

Treasury officials have cautioned, however, that measures of this kind could ultimately reduce tax receipts, unlike a direct increase in income tax.

That is because tax avoidance techniques, such as moving your cash and home abroad or transferring money to children, eventually more than outweigh the original boost to government coffers.

As The Mail on Sunday revealed in July, Labour is also considering plans to extend the mansion tax to properties valued at more than £1.5million, in a move that would hit nearly 300,000 homes. 

Calling an election would be a bold gamble given the witches’ brew of cost pressures facing voters. 

Oil prices are more than $100 a barrel, there are four increases in interest rates expected by the middle of next year and the average energy bill is forecast to rise by 24 per cent in January to well over £2,000.

Mr Burnham has denied plans to call an early election, saying he will ‘work to the 2024 manifesto’. 

When President Trump arrived at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of Ireland’s president in Dublin, last weekend, his son Don Jr and Don’s new wife, Bettina, were given a prominent place in the welcoming party.

The couple stood on the red carpet at the front of the line to meet Ireland’s president, Catherine Connolly. Behind them were three of Don Jr’s children, including his 12-year-old daughter Chloe, while presidential aide Natalie Harp stood at the far end.

If 39-year-old Bettina felt nervous about appearing on the international stage, she showed no sign of it. In a display reminiscent of the First Lady’s signature style, she wore her tailored coat draped over her shoulders like a cape. If the appearance was a public try-out, the new Mrs Trump appeared fully committed.

‘She was looking pretty comfortable,’ a source close to Bettina told the Daily Mail. ‘She was also showcasing her relationship with Trump, taking mirror selfies of herself and Chloe with the President on the plane. She was really leaning into it.’

Her entry into the family’s innermost circle now appears complete. In one Instagram photograph, Bettina took a mirror selfie with President Trump and Chloe beside a sink—an intimate, slightly boastful glimpse of the family moment. Another image showed her seated opposite Trump on the aircraft as they looked out toward the Emerald Isle.

There were also subtle but revealing interactions between Bettina and Don Jr during the visit. To close observers, the moments hinted at a changing relationship dynamic and growing confidence in Bettina’s public role.

‘Before their wedding in May, Bettina often appeared to take Don’s lead, while he sported the puffed chest and tendency to dominate the spotlight of his alpha-posturing father,’ body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail.

‘As the family group lined up outside to be introduced to the President of Ireland though, it was Bettina smiling serenely and rotating in the direction of the cameras and chatting in what looked like a very confident bid to be visible.’

Don Jr, 48, appeared ‘tense’ at times, James said, with his smiles often coming as sudden, brief ‘lightning smiles’ rather than the more relaxed expressions seen from Bettina.

Lip reader Nicola Hickling said Bettina appeared concerned about whether the children were comfortable. Smiling, her husband reassured her: ‘Don’t worry about it, they always fidget.’

He then gestured down the line and asked: ‘Are you okay, Chloe?’

A short time later, Bettina tapped her hand against her husband’s waist and, according to Hickling, said: ‘Hold hands.’

Don Jr responded immediately, releasing his clasped hands and reaching out to take his wife’s hand.

James said Bettina then stroked his hand with her thumb, describing the gesture as an apparent ‘soothing gesture of loving reassurance’—or perhaps a tacit reward.

Although the trip appeared to go smoothly, controversy was waiting for the couple when they returned to the United States.

Soon after Air Force One landed, ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch with connections to Vladimir Putin, had contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the Trumps’ post-wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.

The disclosure represented Bettina’s first major public-relations test. In a statement posted to her Instagram, she and Don Jr stood by the arrangement, saying they were ‘incredibly grateful’ to their ‘dear friend Umar’ and would not apologize or feel embarrassed about accepting the support.

‘Friendship doesn’t require a political motive,’ they said. ‘Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda.

‘So, for anyone determined not to let the facts get in the way of a good story: NO CONSPIRACY, NO MYSTERY. Just a private family wedding, a wonderful weekend with friends and one hell of a party.’

Still, on Friday Trump told reporters that his son had assured him he planned to pay the Russian back. 

The controversy could prove a bump in the road for the latest addition to the first family, and a lesson that, in the political world, friends sometimes need to be chosen carefully.

In her previous incarnation as a prominent Palm Beach socialite, friends have always been very important to the former Bettina Anderson.

A profile in Avenue Magazine once said of her: ‘Every town has an ‘It’ girl and in Palm Beach it’s Anderson.’

In another profile, in Fashion Week Daily in 2022, she was asked what she was most proud of.

‘I think I’m most proud of the incredible network of people I am blessed to have,’ she said. ‘And my ability to create connections and make introductions and put people together professionally and socially.’

A source, who has known Bettina for decades, told the Daily Mail she exudes class, but has always been ‘hungry for more.’

‘She would buy an outfit for an event, and go back and forth, saying, this isn’t good enough, I need something better. She kind of just did that with her life,’ the source said.

Perhaps in keeping with that reputation, Bettina wore not one, but two dresses for her wedding and celebrations. Both were by London-based designer Safiyaa, a favorite of Catherine, Princess of Wales no less.

Bettina worked closely with founder Daniela Karnuts and the embroidery for her evening dress – a ‘bespoke double silk organza set fully embellished with crystal, metallic, and silk’ – took 150 hours, according to Safiyaa.

But however beautiful the dresses and the moment, there is no escaping the fact that recent revelations about the Russia-linked Bahamas farrago could not have emerged at a worse time for the GOP, coming as they did, just weeks ahead of the midterms.

In the febrile pre-election atmosphere it has become, for some Republicans behind the scenes, a point of genuine unease. They regard it as an inexplicable self-inflicted wound.

With voters beset by rising gas prices and food costs, the last thing Republican candidates need to be defending on the doorstep is a lavish Russian-funded party in the Bahamas.

It has also reminded some MAGA loyalists of Bettina’s historic social media posts.

She is a registered Republican but, in 2020 during the pandemic, she posted an image of herself wearing a mask with a sign that read: ‘Only you can stop the spread of ignorance.’

She also posted a blacked-out screen that social media users were using as a signal of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

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The wedding party controversy is also a distraction from what the President wants to talk about, including tax cuts and immigration enforcement.

While he has insisted it is ‘no big deal,’ many in his party do not agree.

And one of those who does not appear to view Kremlev as a ‘dear friend’ is the other Mrs Trump – the First Lady.

Melania has led a successful campaign to reunite children kidnapped from Ukraine and taken to Russia during the ongoing war. As of August, the campaign has reunified 34 children with their families in Ukraine.

In a noticeably frosty statement, her spokesperson said: ‘Mrs Trump does not, and has never had, a relationship with Mr Kremlev.

‘Mrs Trump played no role whatsoever in organizing the wedding event and was not privy to any aspect of its financial planning.’

Melania was not in the Bahamas for the celebrations and, therefore, did not meet Kremlev.

She could have remained silent amid the storm, as she often does, but her decision to publicly distance herself is perhaps a sign of how much the episode is reverberating in Trump world.

A source familiar with how Don Jr and Bettina met told the Daily Mail they were introduced by his ex-wife Vanessa, who is now in a relationship with Tiger Woods.

Since the wedding, President Trump himself jokingly said he had noticed a change in Don Jr.

‘My son Don is here,’ he said in Ireland. ‘He’s calmed down so much. He’s like a different human being. He had a lot of energy. Now he’s a little less energy.’

Did he also perhaps notice that Don Jr was looking sharper?

According to a medical spa in Palm Beach, the first son had Ultherapy to ‘naturally define his jawline’ ahead of the wedding.

Ultherapy is a non-invasive skin-lifting treatment meant to improve skin laxity, performed by an FDA-cleared ultrasound device.

The procedure typically costs upwards of $2,000 for one session.

The spa, Pure Skin Palm Beach, said Bettina had been going there for five years and had become a ‘dear friend.’

It said preparations for the wedding began months before and Bettina had also done Ultherapy, along with a host of other treatments including Sculptra, Renuva, MOXI, Tixel, laser hair removal and ariessence pure PDGF+.

There were ‘regenerative hair restoration, customized facials, wrinkle relaxers and wellness IV therapy,’ and ‘we even rejuvenated her hands’ to help show off her wedding ring.

‘Coordinating treatments around a demanding travel schedule and public appearances required meticulous planning, allowing every result to peak beautifully for her wedding day,’ the medical spa wrote in the caption.

With such a focus on attention to detail for the big day, perhaps it is unfair of anonymous Republican snipers to ask whether Bettina should have been aware of the optics of accepting the largesse of her husband’s Russian friend.

After all, she probably has not seen the video from last month of Kremlev palling around and clinking champagne glasses with Putin in St Catherine Hall at the Kremlin.

The Russian President awarded him the Order of Friendship for his work as head of the International Boxing Association (IBA).

She may also not have known that, between the Kremlin and the Bahamas party, ‘dear Umar’ found time to travel to China while Putin was on a state visit there.

The intriguing relationship between Kremlev and Don Jr can be traced back at least one year to September 2025, when they appeared on stage together at the IBA Sport and Business Forum in Istanbul, Turkey.

Trump Jr, Executive Vice-President of The Trump Organization, sat between Kremlev on his right, and Rasheda Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s daughter, to his left.

‘I am proud to stand here with my friend Donald Trump Jr, who shares this belief that fairness, respect and integrity are the foundations of sport,’ Kremlev told the audience, according to an IBA statement.

‘Together, we will protect the transparency of boxing and open the door for the next generation.’

According to the IBA account of the event, Trump Jr said: ‘What Umar is doing – restoring actual fairness, bringing back the purity of boxing, and giving the youth of today a chance to step away from the computer and into the ring – is extraordinary.

‘This is not just about boxing; it’s about life lessons, discipline, integrity and opportunity. That’s the legacy we need, and I am proud to call Umar not only a leader but a friend.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Don Jr and Bettina for comment. 

Representatives for Kremlev told ProPublica he and Trump Jr met a couple of years ago and have a ‘friendly relationship.’

They said: ‘Mr Kremlev has never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances.’

Certainly, that is the line Bettina has held to, pushing back on detractors this week in a statement some might view as faintly naïve – others might view as a quiet indicator that there’s a new Mrs Trump in town, and she’s no pushover.