An energy expert has likened Australia’s response to the fuel crisis to watching a tsunami approach and doing nothing to get out of the way.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to meet with the global energy watchdog this week after dismissing its urgent calls to curb fuel demand, describing the warnings as “suggestions to the world rather than Australia”.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: PM faces fuel crisis as security targets missed

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But as concerns grow about worsening shortages, Australian Institute of Energy Fellow John Blackburn told Sunrise the real danger wasn’t the crisis itself but how Australia was handling it.

“Just imagine this is a tsunami coming at us, but we’re sitting here looking at it,” Blackburn said.

“Good idea to get out of the way and prepare for it. We’re not doing that.”

Blackburn said Australia’s lack of urgency and long-standing inaction on fuel security left the country dangerously exposed.

“Australia hasn’t met its requirements since 2012,” he said.

“Australia just hasn’t stepped up to the mark, and it won’t be able to... for a long time.”

He said poor communication and political point-scoring are compounding the problem, pointing to a heated on-air clash on Sunrise on Monday as an example of messaging that risks fuelling confusion and panic buying among consumers.

“It’s not just government. It’s the whole political system,” he said.

“I watched that, and I felt the need to go out and get fuel, and I’ve got an electric car.”

Blackburn also criticised Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s messaging, saying he is “not a really good communicator”.

“Australians can tell when you’re just pulling bull,” he said.

Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy, John Blackburn, has told Sunrise the real danger isn’t just the fuel crisis itself, it’s how Australia is handling it. Credit: Sunrise

Instead, he said leaders need to level with Australians about what lies ahead.

“We’ve got to be honest with the people. We’ve got to say to people, ‘this is what we do know. This is what we don’t know’.”

Blackburn warned the current situation is only “the leading edge of an inevitable impact”, with global supply disruptions expected to linger even if conflicts ease.