Ditch climate department to build refineries, Barnaby Joyce urges nation

Australia’s fuel crisis is a “walk in the park” compared to the next disaster looming on the country’s doorstep, Barnaby Joyce has warned.

Much of Australia’s vulnerability to supply chain disruptions triggered by the Iran war stems from a lack of domestic production capacity, given that it exports most of its fuel from Asian refineries, which in turn receive their supplies from the Middle East.

My Joyce claimed on Wednesday that Australia should prioritize becoming “self-sufficient” by building refineries and extracting oil to prepare for the “next crisis period”, which he claimed would be a “Taiwan crisis” amid China’s growing regional dominance.

The warning came as average national oil prices reached $2.28 for regular unleaded oil in late March, an increase driven by Australia’s vulnerability to global supply chains.

“I hope the enlightenment for our nation would be that we abandon the climate change department, abandon climate policy. We go back to building refineries,” he said.

Mr Joyce also reviewed the safeguard mechanism, a government policy to reduce emissions at Australia’s largest industrial sites.

The policy, which was introduced in July 2023 and revised in 2023, requires facilities that emit more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide to keep net emissions below set limits.

This is a policy that will help Australia reach net zero by 2050.

“The refineries are covered by the protection mechanism designed to put the refineries out of action,” he said.

“Okay, that’s what they’re there for, so get rid of it.”

Over the last 15 years, Australia has had only two oil refineries out of eight, one in Brisbane and the other in Geelong.

Australia now imports more than 90 percent of its refined fuel from foreign-owned and foreign-crewed ships.

Mr Joyce said Australia would become more “self-sufficient” if it started building refineries and extracting oil.