Govt to pressure Asia to cut fuel subsidies
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The Federal Government says it wants to put pressure on Asian countries to lower their subsidies on petrol.
The Government hopes lower subsidies in Asia will reduce demand for petrol, ensuring prices do not continue to rise at such a rapid rate.
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner has told Channel Nine he backs comments on the matter made by Energy Minister Martin Ferguson.
"What Martin Ferguson's suggesting is very sensible, it's important for Australia to put pressure on these other countries but of course we can't force them to make those changes," he said.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Robb says the Government needs to do more than lecture Asian countries.
"We ought to get on with the job of dealing with the petrol crisis ourselves in our own way in Australia," he said.
The Government is likely to raise the matter of subsidies through the East Asian Summit's energy task force.
service station.The Australian Government is to lobby Asian counties to reduce fuel subsidies and price caps in a bid to lower fuel prices, which the Government argues that fuel subsidies are artificially inflating fuel prices across the Asia-Pacific region.

Resources and Energy Minister, Martin Ferguson said that the Rudd Government does not want to be critical of countries which have used the subsidies to help promote development, however he said that "the challenge of dealing with energy subsidies in our region is a serious one".

Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrew Robb told Sky News Australia that "it was a bit presumptuous of Australia to be lecturing Asian countries". 

"The best thing for us is to look at our own affairs in the first instance, that way you then have some credibility in lecturing others".