Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the $20 million advertising campaign urging drivers to cut down on fuel use is far from a waste of money.

The taxpayer-funded “Every Little Bit Helps” campaign, which rolled out from Monday, urges drivers to conserve fuel by changing their driving habits or leaving the car at home as volatility in the Middle East impacts global oil supply.

Ahead of a four-day trip to Asia to shore up petrol and diesel supplies, Albanese rejected opposition claims the ads were a waste of money in the middle of the fuel crisis, saying the campaign provided practical information to the public.

“We need to give people that information,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program on Monday.

“We want to keep the economy moving … we want people to go about in a sensible way and that’s why a public information campaign is very important at this point in time.”

But opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said the ad drive wasn’t necessary.

“That is patronising political propaganda from the Albanese government,” he told Sydney radio 2GB.

“When petrol is more than $2 a litre and diesel is more than $3 a litre, Australians know you shouldn’t spend more than you need to on your fuel bill.

“[Spending] $20 million lecturing them about how to drive is the last thing they need in a crisis like this.”

Curtin University sustainability expert Peter Newman said similar campaigns had been evaluated in the past and shown to have virtually no impact.

He also described as “desperately stupid” a Western Australian government plan to develop a state diesel stockpile, independent of national fuel reserves.

“It’s going to be very expensive and difficult to even access that [extra] diesel and petrol [on the global market],” Newman said.

In comparison, he said it was a “no-brainer” for Australia to speed up the transition to electrified transport.

“We can be a world leader in that, not a world leader in how much [petrol and diesel] we can store up,” Newman said.

The campaign offers practical tips for saving fuel. Photo: Australian government

Earlier, Transport Minister Catherine King did not rule out an extension of the three-month fuel excise cut, but said it would be a matter for the May budget considerations.

King told ABC’s Insiders on Sunday that the government was considering additional measures for household and businesses.

“They’re all things that we’re contemplating as part of the budget process,” she said.

Ahead of US Vice-President JD Vance’s announcement that weekend talks with Iran had failed, King said the government was “realistic” about a longer-term ceasefire in the Middle East.

“This is a complex geopolitical area that’s not an easy area for quick and easy resolution, so we’ve got to be prepared for that and understanding what that means for businesses, for our farming communities, making sure we continue to transport goods and services and provide services for people in communities far and wide,” she said.

Albanese is preparing for a four-day visit to Brunei and Malaysia to meet the two Asian nations’ leaders to try to safeguard the flow of petrol and diesel.

Both nations have important roles in Australia’s fuel-supply chains and the trip will build on a recent visit to another vital exporter, Singapore.

Albanese said the talks would be critical for ensuring fuel continued to flow in Australia, noting Brunei shipped about 9 per cent of the nation’s diesel while Malaysia was the third-biggest supplier of fuel.

“This is why you engage with partners in our region,” he told ABC TV.

“One of the themes of this is that people recognise that we’ve got to work together at this difficult time.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will also meet her counterparts from Malaysia and Brunei on the four-day visit.

-with AAP