A heated on-air spat has erupted between Tanya Plibersek and Barnaby Joyce as Australia’s fuel crisis continues with tempers flaring over how much petrol the country actually has.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen at the weekend backed working from home as a “sensible” way to cut fuel use, as shortages bite across the country and dozens of service stations display “no fuel” signs.

In a heated clash on Sunrise on Monday, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce went head-to-head over Australia’s fuel reserves, with the exchange spiralling into a fiery war of words over what the country actually has on hand.

Plibersek insisted the government was not mandating working from home but urged Australians to reduce consumption where possible.

“If you can reduce your fuel use, then that would be a really helpful thing to do. But certainly we’re not telling people that they must work from home,” she said.

She said Australia currently has 38 days’ worth of petrol, 30 days of diesel, and 30 days of jet fuel in reserve, but acknowledged distribution was the key issue with supplies struggling to reach regional areas.

She urged Australians to only “buy the fuel you need”.

Joyce, however, tore into the supply figures, arguing they don’t reflect reality on the ground.

“I’ll tell you how many days’ fuel supply they had in Walcha the other day. Zero. I’ll tell you how much fuel supply they’ve got in so many other towns in regional Australia. Zero,” he said.

Tanya Plibersek & Barnaby Joyce explode in fiery clash on Sunrise, leaving host Nat Barr in shock Credit: Sunrise

He questioned whether the government’s numbers include fuel still at sea, rather than physically in Australia.

“The International Energy Agency wants you to talk about the fuel that’s on the land, not the fuel on ships. Unless you’re going to turn yourself into a pirate and climb up the anchor chain and take over the ship,” he said.

Plibersek pushed back, saying figures are “measured in the same way it’s always measured”, before taking a swipe at Joyce’s time in government.

“Well, it’s not the fuel stocks we’ve got in Texas, which is the way that they were measured when Barnaby Joyce was the deputy prime minister,” she said.

She later conceded the figures do include fuel on ships heading to Australia — something Joyce said is not what the International Energy Agency requires.

“You’re wrong, Tanya,” he said.

“Do you say the population of Australia is people in planes in the sky?

“The International Energy Agency is quite clear, it’s got to be on Australian soil.”

As the pair spoke over the top of one another and host Natalie Barr, Plibersek snapped back.

“Barnaby, honestly, be a grown-up for a change,” she said.

“It would be really helpful if you behaved as an adult.”

Despite the political sparring, Plibersek acknowledged ongoing issues getting fuel to regional communities, saying a national fuel coordinator has been appointed and companies like Ampol have been asked to prioritise deliveries outside major cities.

Both Australian refineries are operating overtime, with all available fuel being kept onshore, while the government negotiates with regional partners to maintain supply.

But with empty bowsers already appearing and tensions rising in Canberra, the crisis is rapidly evolving.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is scheduled to meet with the International Energy Agency this week with the organisation’s executive director Fatih Birol due to speak at the National Press Club on Monday.