Australia seeks fuel surety in crisis-driven Asia trip
The Prime Minister will seek to support the supply of fuel and other essential goods during his four-day trip to key trading partners.
Anthony Albanese will travel to Brunei and Malaysia on Tuesday amid stepped-up efforts to protect the flow of oil, diesel and other critical imports amid ongoing instability caused by conflicts in the Middle East.
Both countries play important roles in Australia’s fuel supply chains and the trip will build on a recent visit to Singapore, another vital exporter.
Mr Albanese said strengthening ties with regional partners was essential to maintain energy security in uncertain times.
“We are taking every step to strengthen relationships and engage with key partners to keep our fuel supplies flowing,” he said.
The Prime Minister will meet with the Sultan of Brunei to discuss energy, food security and movement of essential goods.
Brunei supplies approximately nine per cent of Australia’s diesel imports.
The talks will also focus on deepening the existing partnership established in 2023.
He will meet his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim to discuss fuel supplies.
Malaysia is Australia’s third largest source of refined fuels and accounts for 10 per cent of Australian fertilizer imports.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong will also meet with her counterparts from Malaysia and Brunei during the four-day visit.
The trip comes as the government launches a $20 million advertising campaign asking the public to help save fuel by changing their driving habits or leaving the car at home.
But Curtin University sustainability expert Peter Newman criticized the move, saying similar campaigns had been evaluated in the past and found to have almost no impact.
He also described the Western Australian government’s plan to develop a state-based diesel stockpile independent of national fuel reserves as “extremely stupid”.
“Even this (extra) diesel and petrol will be very expensive and difficult to access (on the global market),” Professor Newman told AAP.
In contrast, he said it was “a no-brainer” for Australia to accelerate the transition to electric transport.
“We can be the world leader in this, not just the world leader in how much (petrol and diesel) we can store,” Prof Newman said.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
