Anthony Albanese is defending using a televised national address to call for calm during the fuel crisis, saying he wanted to speak to Australians directly to combat misinformation.
The prime minister warned there might be difficult times ahead and urged people to go about their Easter long weekend as normal, in the speech broadcast on all major television and radio networks on Wednesday night.
Mr Albanese said he chose to broadcast the address on all major television and radio networks as the Middle East conflict continues.
"People used to get their information from Seven or Nine or ABC or 10 or SBS ... and there would be a consistency about it," he said in a National Press Club speech on Thursday.
"Now they're getting it on their device, it's telling them all sorts of things that aren't true.
"I took the opportunity to talk directly to the nation that is more important than ever, because the nature of noise that is out there."
The prime minister's televised address has prompted some backlash, with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor saying it "could have been a social media post".
"Mateship and looking after each other is a core value of Australians, so I'm not going to lecture Australians about what they should do, but what the government needs to do is to give us clarity," he told ABC TV.
During the national address on Wednesday, Mr Albanese urged people to consider getting public transport instead of driving and told motorists heading on road trips over Easter to only take as much fuel as they needed as the global oil crisis drags on.
"That builds our reserves and it saves fuel for people who have no choice but to drive: farmers and miners and tradies who need diesel, every single day," Mr Albanese said.
On Thursday, he announced a further 5.7c a litre reduction will be added to a temporary 26.3c a litre reduction off fuel and will last until June 30.
He said he understood Australians' fears when they heard about the economic impacts of the fuel crisis, but said the government's response would not replicate stringent COVID lockdowns.
"While there are significant challenges ahead and common sense changes required, this will not be like COVID partly because the nature of this global crisis is very different," the prime minister said.
He also announced a $1 billion fund to help businesses impacted by the conflict, and said the money would be dispersed through interest-free loans.
Mr Albanese said the government would consider ways to increase Australia's fuel security, but explained the domestic challenges of a 90-day reserve recommended by the International Energy Agency.
"The 90-day reserve considered by the IEA isn't a reserve for domestic use," he said.
"One of the things about Australia because of the size of our continent is that the cost would be around about $20 billion annually.
"The challenge for us is very different from a smaller country in Europe that has a larger population."
While intended to calm Australians as the Middle East war and resulting fuel crisis worsens, the prime minister's national address could have the opposite effect, former Liberal adviser Tony Barry told AAP.
Mr Albanese has a negative 17 favourability rating according to Mr Barry's firm Redbridge, well behind Mr Taylor and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
The pollster said a prime minister giving an address to the nation with such a low approval rating was a recipe for disaster.
"Standing up and telling everybody not to panic is a sure way to make everybody panic," he said.