Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended his government's decision to end a temporary discount on the fuel excise, a move that has coincided with rising petrol prices and added further pressure to households already grappling with the cost of living. The decision has drawn criticism from those affected by higher pump prices, prompting Albanese to publicly justify the policy shift.

The article's original text was not available in a usable form, so further specific details, figures and direct quotes from the report could not be confirmed. The broader context is Australia's ongoing cost-of-living crisis, in which fuel costs form a significant part of household budgets, making any excise-related price rise a politically sensitive issue for the government.