Kudos and Catastrophes

This month’s edition is dominated by the fuel crisis, and it has delivered a sharp contrast between effective communications and the total absence of it.

The Kudos goes to the NRMA. As petrol prices surged past $2.50 a litre and panic buying emptied pumps across the country, the NRMA was one of the first organisations to front the media with a clear, consistent message: don’t panic buy, use price comparison apps, and here’s what we actually know about supply levels. They published regular updates, called out price gouging publicly by referring conduct to the ACCC, and positioned themselves as the trusted voice for consumers navigating the chaos.

What stood out from a communications standpoint was the speed and specificity. While government ministers were still finding their footing, the NRMA was already on the front foot with data, practical advice and a clear narrative: this is a supply chain issue being made worse by demand spikes, not a national emergency. They also had the credibility to call out what others couldn’t – or wouldn’t – pointing directly at fuel retailers who hiked prices before wholesale costs had even moved.

It’s a good example of how an organisation can build trust via communications – not by having the loudest voice, but by having potentially the most useful one.

The Catastrophe, by contrast, sits with Australia’s major fuel suppliers – Ampol, BP, Mobil Oil and Viva Energy.

When the ACCC launched an enforcement investigation into all four companies simultaneously over alleged anti-competitive conduct in regional diesel supply, the response from the big four was, to put it charitably, underwhelming. Ampol and Viva Energy didn’t respond to media requests at all. BP and Mobil were similarly silent.

For companies that control roughly 85 per cent of Australia’s fuel import and refining infrastructure, this was a remarkable communications failure. At a time when farmers couldn’t fuel their machinery, regional servos were running dry, and the public was watching petrol prices climb daily, they had nothing to say.

Silence in a crisis is never neutral. It gets filled by the regulator, by government, by consumer advocacy groups, and by journalists. And filled it was (unlike my petrol tank).

The ACCC’s Chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, took the unusual step of publicly confirming the investigation, noting it was “not our usual practice” to do so – a comment that only amplified the severity. The government doubled maximum penalties to $100 million per contravention within weeks. And the media narrative had already been set: these companies prioritised their own branded stations while regional Australia went dry.

The Trust Gap

Staying on the theme of trust, March also saw the Australian release of the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, which dropped at Mumbrella’s CommsCon on 25 March.

The headline: trust in Australia’s institutions is up. Trust in media grew the most (up 8 points), followed by government (6 points) and business (5 points). That’s the good news.

The less encouraging finding is that 73 per cent of Australians now hold what Edelman describes as an ‘insular mindset’ – unwilling or hesitant to trust someone who lives by different core values, wants to address problems differently, or is from a different cultural background.

This tells us that audiences are more fragmented than ever, and a message that lands well with one group can actively alienate another.

Putting my internal comms hat on, two stats specifically stood out. 42 per cent of Australians said they’d rather change departments than report to a manager with different values, and a third admitted they’d put less effort into supporting a project run by colleagues with different political beliefs. These are workplace dynamics that directly affect internal communications strategies, and should be top of mind for those working in the space.

The silver lining is that employers were also rated as the most trusted institution to bridge divides, with only a 17 per cent gap between expectation and performance. For those of us advising on corporate communications, there’s a real opportunity here to help organisations lean into this role.

The full report is worth a read, and you can find the Australian version here.

Coffee With a Journalist & A Client Win

Building on our recent work together, we have developed a strong relationship with ABC business journalist Adelaide Miller over the past few months through close collaboration on a major story.

The story – Homeowners struggle as insurance premiums rise more than 50 per cent in five years – examines rising home insurance premiums, which have increased by 51 per cent over five years. It was the result of months of work, underpinned by nationwide research and data, managing multiple spokespeople across different organisations, and carefully selected case studies to reflect the national scale and human impact of the issue.

Following publication, we also met with Adelaide to continue the conversation and better understand her editorial priorities. She highlighted a strong interest in stories across payments, insurance and cost of living, particularly where there are clear data points, tangible impact and relevance to everyday Australians.

A key takeaway was the importance of clarity in a crowded media landscape. Journalists like Adelaide are fielding hundreds of pitches every day, so having a hook that speaks directly to your audience is essential. If you cannot quickly articulate the story, the impact and why it matters to Australians, it is unlikely to resonate.

Cognito is an independent communications and PR agency specialising in financial services and technology, with offices in Sydney, London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and other major financial centres around the world. If you’d like to work with a team that understands your sector, get in touch at [email protected].