PM seeks fuel supply certainty in visit to neighbours
Anthony Albanese will seek greater assurances about Australia’s fuel supplies during his first prime ministerial visit to Brunei in more than a decade.
The prime minister will embark on a four-day visit to Brunei and Malaysia on Tuesday for talks aimed at securing the flow of gasoline and diesel.
Both countries play important roles in Australia’s fuel supply chains and the trip will build on Mr Albanese’s visit to Singapore, another vital exporter.
Mr Albanese will visit the Brunei Darussalam-Australia Memorial with Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday, where he will lay a wreath.
The site is dedicated to the 127 Australians killed and the hundreds more injured while liberating Brunei and British North Borneo (now Malaysia) from Japanese occupation at the end of the Second World War.
Mr Albanese became the first Australian prime minister to visit Brunei since Tony Abbott for the East Asia Summit in 2013.
Swinburne University engineering expert Hussein Dia described the trip as part of regional “fuel diplomacy” efforts aimed at ensuring long-term supplies.
Brunei ships about nine per cent of Australian diesel, while Malaysia is the third largest supplier, according to the government.
“I don’t think it’s a sign of immediate shortage or to say ‘give us priority’, I actually think it’s to keep the flow going,” Professor Dia said, adding that the government was likely “planning for a prolonged period of uncertainty”.
“I think it just reinforces that we’re good partners and we’re just here to seek reassurance and build on that.”
The government launched a $20 million advertising campaign on Monday encouraging drivers to reduce fuel consumption by changing their driving habits or leaving the car at home.
Mr Albanese said the advertising blitz gave consumers practical information and described it as a sensible move at a time of “global challenges”.
In the long term, the government said it was important to continue efforts towards electrification and renewable energy to reduce the country’s dependence on gasoline and diesel.
Australia’s fuel stocks have remained relatively stable since the Iran conflict broke out in February, with reserves of 38 days of gasoline, 28 days of jet fuel and 31 days of diesel, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Monday.
Mr Bowen said 57 shipments of crude oil, jet fuel, diesel and gasoline went to Australia, a figure that he said was normal for this time of year.
