Australia Secures Emergency Diesel Supplies Amid Fuel Concerns

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Sydney: Australia has secured an additional 100 million litres of diesel from Brunei and South Korea as it moves to shore up fuel supplies disrupted by the ongoing Middle East conflict, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.

The announcement comes after a fire broke out overnight at a key refinery outside Melbourne, raising concerns about further strain on the country’s fuel availability.

“I can announce that my government has secured an additional 100 million litres of diesel from two shipments—one from Brunei, where I was yesterday, and one from South Korea,” Albanese said during a press conference in Malaysia.

He added that this would be the first of several shipments expected under the government’s new strategic reserve powers.

Australia currently holds about 38 days’ worth of petrol reserves, well below the 90-day minimum required by the International Energy Agency.

While the government has not introduced fuel rationing, authorities have urged citizens to conserve fuel and opt for public transport where possible.

Like many countries across Asia and the Pacific, Australia relies heavily on oil shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz—a critical route that once carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas.

However, shipping traffic through the waterway has largely halted since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, further intensifying global supply concerns.