Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has admitted that Australia’s widely cited 30 days of fuel reserves also includes shipments that are still on their way to the country.
The revelation came during a fiery clash with Sunrise host Nat Barr over the federal government’s response to escalating fuel shortages, as six tankers bound for Australia had their journeys cancelled or postponed because of the war in the Middle East.
Barr asked Plibersek: ‘You know the 30 days that everyone in your government keeps talking about – is that how much fuel we’ve got in Australia?’
Plibersek said that fuel security was measured in the same way it had always been.
‘It’s measured in the fuel stocks that we’ve got in Australia, and ships that are headed here as well,’ she said.
Plibersek added: ‘We absolutely acknowledge that there are problems in getting fuel supplies to regional areas.’
But Barr highlighted that shortages had also hit some stations in the city.
A frustrated Barr interrupted: ‘This is in Neutral Bay in Sydney!’
Tanya Plibersek clashed with Sunrise host Nat Barr and Oner Nation MP Barnaby Joyce on Monday
‘Out of order’ signs are displayed on empty pumps at an Ampol petrol station in Sydney after running out of fuel
‘It’s in the city. In Sydney, there’s dozens of stations empty, like the little sign, no fuel.’
Plibersek said the government had released petrol from its emergency stocks and appointed a national fuel coordinator to tackle distribution issues.
‘The most helpful thing people could do is just buy the fuel they need and no more.’
‘We’ve got our two refineries working overtime, all of that fuel staying in Australia, and we’re negotiating with our countries in the region to make sure that the supplies keep coming,’ Plibersek said.
‘We are absolutely on the issue of fuel distribution, and we’re working very closely with the states and territories on that as well.’
Barr said many motorists were still being left in the dark by the government about the shortages.
‘No one knows why stations are empty though. Can’t quite work that out,’ Barr said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been phoning his global counterparts to try to shore up Australia’s fuel stocks over the coming weeks.
Australia is heavily reliant on fuel imports, bringing much of it in from South Korea and Singapore, which in turn rely on oil from the Middle East.
Robinvale in Victoria (pictured on Saturday) is among a host of regional towns that have run out of fuel
Albanese was working the phones to ensure Australia’s imports were not forgotten in the global rush for oil, Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said.
‘The prime minister’s negotiating with our Asian neighbours and counterparts to try and maximise the amount of fuel that is available in Australia,’ he told Sky News on Monday morning.
Thistlethwaite suggested Australia could leverage its natural gas exports to incentivise countries such as South Korea to continue sending fuel.
The International Energy Agency has suggested encouraging people to work from home in a bid to reduce demand for petrol, a move the government described as ‘sensible’ on Sunday.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen also revealed six tankers bound for Australia had their journeys cancelled or postponed because of the war in the Middle East.
Fuel companies had increased their imports from the United States in response, Labor minister Mark Butler said on Monday.
‘We’re seeing, as I understand it, an increase in shipments from the US that we haven’t seen for many, many years,’ he told Nine’s Today program.
‘I think the companies, but also the government, (are) working very hard to make sure that we can get supplies from wherever possible,’ he said.
Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume said stronger supply chains were the solution to the fuel crisis.
‘The way to deal with the crisis we’re facing now is to address those distribution channels and to make sure that we have the supply chains in place to deliver fuel where it’s needed,’ she told ABC TV.
‘Without that, the economy simply runs to a stop.’
