An Australian doomsday prepper has warned households to start preparing for potential shortages and rising prices as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.
Switch Stephens is one of a growing number of Aussies who are readying themselves and their families for when ‘disaster strikes again’, be that a natural catastrophe, the breakdown of civil society, or even the start of World War III.
‘They are warning us that petrol could reach $3 a litre nationwide if the conflict continues,’ he said.
‘This doesn’t just affect your car – fuel powers transport, food delivery, farming equipment, shipping, power generation.
‘So when fuel prices go up, everything else follows, groceries, freight, even your electricity will go up.’
Mr Stephens said Australians should avoid panic buying and instead focus on simple steps to improve household resilience, such as stocking extra pantry staples, storing water, preparing a vehicle emergency kit, and keeping basic power and medical supplies on hand.
‘Don’t go blowing your life savings and clearing out supermarket shelves,’ he said.
‘What you should be doing is, when you do a normal weekly shop, start adding a few extra items in as a buffer because small additions over time create a significant buffer.’
He said any pressure on global supply chains would be felt locally not because food is running out, but because supermarkets rely on tightly timed logistics and frequent deliveries.
Switch Stephens (pictured) runs the Prepared Australia social media channels to help Aussies prepare for the fallout from the war in the Middle East
Motorists line up for fuel to beat the rising cost of petrol as war rages in the Middle East
Residents look on as flames and smoke rise from an oil storage facility struck as attacks hit Iran’s capital Tehran during the US and Israeli military campaign
‘We saw this during the pandemic – empty shelves and people panic buying, and if supply chains start slowing down, they will actually struggle to catch up,’ he said.
‘Food preparation isn’t about starvation. It’s about avoiding chaos.
‘You want to aim for 14 to 30 days of food at home – the simple staples: rice, pasta, oats, flour, beans, lentils, tinned tuna, tin chicken, tinned vegetables, peanut butter, cooking oil.
‘These foods are cheap, calorie dense and have a long shelf life.’
Primara Research data analyst Peter Drennan said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz poses a major threat to global energy markets, with roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil transported through the vital shipping chokepoint.
‘The good news is there is over 4.3 million barrels per day in extra oil production capacity in OPEC+ to offset the closure of the Strait,’ he said.
‘The problem is 75 per cent of that is held by supplies that need to transit the Strait of Hormuz.’
He warned the situation amounts to a ‘global energy emergency unfolding in real time’, and Australia could be exposed, with long‑running concerns the nation falls short of the International Energy Agency’s 90‑day on‑shore fuel reserve requirement.
Any pressure on global supply chains would be felt locally not because food is running out, but because supermarkets rely on tightly timed logistics and frequent deliveries
Energy Minister Chris Bowen (pictured) said while there are real challenges, there is no need for panic-buying in advice reminiscent of the Covid toilet paper shortages
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has confirmed Australia holds 36 days of petrol, 34 days of diesel and 32 days of jet fuel.
Mr Stephens said if global oil supply tightens, Australians would see immediate impacts.
‘You’d see price hikes at the bowser and long queues at petrol stations,’ he said.
‘People will start running their fuel tanks longer than they should, and once that happens, something else follows. Cars begin running out of fuel on the road, roads clog, vehicles get abandoned and suddenly getting home becomes a lot harder.’
He said strained energy systems can also trigger power outages, urging households to keep at least a large power bank on hand.
‘It’s not always a nationwide blackout. Sometimes it’s just short interruptions or local grid failures, but even short blackouts can cause big problems,’ he said.
‘Your phone dies, the lights go out, the internet drops, and mobile networks start to slow down, and something that you rely on every single day becomes unreliable, and when people lose access to information, that’s where rumours start to spread.
‘And when that happens, people start guessing, and guessing that leads to panic.
‘The goal is to keep communication alive. Start simple: get a large power bank so you can charge your phone and stay updated on what’s happening in your area.’
