Ryan Bridge: No queues means trust in fuel plan

There's been a bit of hand-wringing this week about the fuel situation and some of it is justified.

If you're running an airline, it's bad. If you're paying $4 bucks to fill a truck with diesel, also bad.

But we're not yet out of fuel, or even close to out of fuel. Which is not the same as saying we won't one day be out of fuel, or having to ration before we get there, that is still a possibility.

This week we've had some economists and pundits come out and hit the panic button.

Oil will start to flow from elsewhere. Europe has already replaced half its lost jet fuel stockpile from Nigeria and America.

But these things take time, and as we've spoken about on this show many times, that ultimately means cost.

Two things became clear this week: Carney in Canada and Albanese are both onboard with oil, more domestic production. They're looking at proposals in Queensland and Carney's promising to build roads to oil wells in Canada.

Climate has taken a backseat. Needs must.

Second thing: people have confidence in the Government's fuel response. It's basically a high-trust model they're operating.

If you want evidence, it's what you don't see, not what you do see. No panic-buying, no jerry cans, no queues outside Mobil.

The same can't be said for other countries.

Ryan Bridge is a New Zealand broadcaster who has worked on many current affairs television and radio shows. He currently hosts Newstalk ZB's Early Edition - where this article was sourced.