Nat Barr rips into the Albanese government for wasting $20million on fuel campaign - and the simple solution that could have saved taxpayers

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 23:34, 12 April 2026 | Updated: 23:45, 12 April 2026 Sunrise host Nat Barr has summed up what millions of Aussies really think of a new taxpayer-funded ad urging motorists to do their bit during the ongoing fuel crisis.     The Albanese government's 'Every little bit helps' campaign is set to play on television and appear on billboards across Australia from Monday at a cost of $20million. The ads will encourage drivers to ditch their cars and use public transport or find alternative options like riding a bike, in an effort to reduce fuel consumption.  Barr clashed with Tanya Plibersek during a fiery segment on Monday after the Social Services Minister insisted the campaign would be a good investment. 'Do you really Tanya?' she asked. Plibersek: 'Yes, I absolutely do.' '$20million! We have a minister on this program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,' she said. Sunrise host Nat Barr has blasted the Albanese government of its new 'Every little bit helps' campaign during the ongoing fuel crisis '(Energy Minister) Chris Bowen wouldn't come on this program for three weeks.  'Now you're going to spend $20million telling us to pump up our tyres. 'Are people really going to watch this ad?'  Plibersek cited the wealth of misinformation on the internet to insist that Aussies will watch the ad. 'People need to know where to go for the right information,' the minister said. 'And when you compare $20million to the $340million that the Liberals spent on the Unchain My Heart ads for industrial relations.  'It's a pretty small investment to give people believable, credible, detailed information about our national fuel security plan.  'We've got at least 16 measures out there, including big investments like cutting the fuel excise in half, getting rid of the heavy vehicle user charge completely, releasing the reserve stocks of fuel. Barr clashed with Tanya Plibersek during a fiery segment on Monday after the Social Services Minister insisted the campaign would be a good investment Motorists can do their bit by checking their tyre pressure, taking off the roof racks if they don't need them and having less in their car boot 'We've got cracking down on price gouging, giving the ACCC more powers to crack down on price gouging. We're doing all of that. It's important that people know that those actions are underway, and it's important that people know where they can go for good information about what they can do to help.' One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce mocked some of the government's suggestions to conserve fuel, which include removing your roof racks. 'Every little bit helps, Barnaby,' the minister replied. Joyce continued: 'After the statement to the nation of five minutes of nothingness, we get this ridiculous ad. 'All it does is inspire people to go, 'they have not this under control.'  The minister also assured that Australia has enough fuel, despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about to embark on his second dash to Asia within days to secure more supplies. It comes amid concerns that Asian fuel producers may start to prioritise their own domestic markets if the ongoing war in the Middle East continues to affect global fuel supply. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the new campaign as he prepared to return to Asia to secure more fuel supplies 'We've got a month's worth of diesel, jet fuel and petrol and we've got 57 ships on the way,' Plibersek said. 'We continue to have enough and receive enough fuel, but it's a very wise precaution for the Prime Minister to be on these diplomatic missions to Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, just to remind our neighbours that we have a strong reliance on fuel from from them, just as they rely on us for natural gas, and that we are a reliable trading partner when it comes to energy security.  'What we really need to see is for this ceasefire to hold and for the situation in the Middle East to be resolved diplomatically.  'It's had a very significant effect, not just in Australia, but around the world on fuel security and other goods like fertiliser.' 'We're in a bit of strife now,' he said. 'We wouldn't be having a stupid ad telling people not to use fuel if we weren't confident that we had enough.' Later on the program, Albanese defended the new campaign. 'Prime Minister, $20million is a lot of money and people are telling us it feels like a waste,' Barr told the Prime Minister. 'I think this is the first time you've come on our show since this crisis began.  'We would have had you on for free, and you could have told everyone to pump up your tyres and use less fuel.' Albanese replied: 'I've done press conferences just about every day, as you know, and I'll do another one later today.' 'It is about keeping the economy going and giving people that direct information, which is so important at this point in time.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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