Australia is sitting on dangerously low levels of fuel stocks. It has less than a month’s reserve of petrol, diesel, and jet fuel. Experts are warning that supermarkets may be emptied and pharmacies may not receive deliveries of medicine if there is a breakdown in global supply chains.
New data from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water indicate Australia only had 49 days’ worth of oil imports in July 2025. That’s far short of the 90 days nations should maintain under a treaty agreed so far back as 1974. Australia has not adhered to the rule since 2012, and it is the only nation among 32 that is unable to do so.
Australia is Running on Fumes Compared to Everyone Else
As per fuel type, Australia only has 20 days’ worth of jet fuel, 24 days’ worth of diesel, and 28 days’ worth of petrol stored. Those are just the numbers for what actually exists on land and in seas close to the coast. Other countries that buy oil from foreign shores have a mean of 141 days’ worth as of June 2025.
New Zealand is second-lowest after Australia, with 92 days of fuel security. Rex Patrick, a former senator and former worker on navy submarines, says the people should be very concerned about it. He believes that the government continues to mention threats in our neighbourhood, but does nothing about fuel.
Food and Medicine Could Stop Moving
Patrick warns that Australia could shut down without anyone even firing a shot here. He remembers how people freaked out about toilet paper during COVID. Now imagine if trucks couldn’t deliver food to shops or bring medicine to chemists because there’s no diesel left in Australia.
Most of its refined fuel comes from Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. A 2020 report titled the Liquid Fuel Security Review stated Australia could manage some issues in the Middle East. But if anything big goes wrong with North-East Asia supply chains, we’re for it. Tony Wood of the Grattan Institute says Australia requires heaps more diesel than comparable nations due to the fact that trucks transport goods over long distances here.
Australia Used to Have More Refineries
In the 1970s, when the international treaty began, Australia did not have a problem satisfying the 90-day rule. There were roughly a dozen oil refineries in the country with large storage tanks. In the years that passed, those facilities were closed one by one. Australia now has just two refineries remaining and must import much of its fuel.
Wood says that we are at the tail end of a very long supply chain, which makes people anxious at times. The 90-day rule is not to boost about fuel for ourselves. It’s really a commitment to assist in providing oil to the entire world market when there is a crisis. In case there is a problem, the International Energy Agency can instruct nations to free some of their reserves. Each nation contributes its portion to keep it stable.
Government Says Everything’s Fine
Patrick believes it’s absurd that Australia will be spending $368 billion on subs that may never materialise at all, but no one is addressing the fuel issue. When asked when Australia would, in fact, comply with the rules of the treaty, the Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s spokesman asserted the nation is “fuel secure.” He said Australia has more aviation fuel, petrol, and diesel stored than at any time in the past 15 years.
The government applies another method of measurement known as the Minimum Stock Obligation, which began in 2021. This records fuel in pipelines and seas around Australia that the international agency does not account for because it cannot easily reach it. The spokesman added these reserves provide Australia with approximately 4 to 5 weeks of security if fuel supplies were entirely shut off.
Jet Fuel Concern Grows
Airbus Australia’s Stephen Forshaw cautioned in August that the nation is sleepwalking into a fuel security disaster. Australia has doubled the amount of jet fuel it imports over the past decade. It now imports over 7 billion litres, and more than a quarter is supplied from Chinese refineries.
Wood states he’s not that upset that Australia fell short of the 90-day goal. He concedes it’s easy to create horror stories about what might occur. The question is, how much do people want to pay to mitigate risks? Australia does have oil from various sources, can travel relatively quickly, and gets along well with large suppliers globally.
Wood raises an interesting point. There is another question of whether Australia has sufficient oil for the nation itself in the event of a crisis, never mind the international agreement. He states the nation never actually had a proper discussion on the topic. Should Australia ensure there is a quantity of processed fuel stored in tanks here, just for us? Wood believes that’s a reasonable question and states it’s reasonable to hold sufficient to ride out difficult periods.
News At Glance
- Australia only has 28 days of petrol, 24 days of diesel, and 20 days of jet fuel in storage
- The country was meant to maintain 90 days’ worth under the 1974 agreement
- Australia has not met this level since 2012
- Only one nation among 32 is not meeting the regulations
- Other fuel-importing nations average 141 days of coverage
- Singapore, South Korea, and Japan provide most of the refined oil
- 12 Australian refineries have dwindled to just 2
- More than 25% of jet fuel is now imported from China
- The government reports that the nation is “fuel secure” based on various measurements
FAQs
- How much fuel does Australia actually have?
Only 28 days’ worth of petrol, 24 days’ worth of diesel, and 20 days’ worth of jet fuel that have been held onshore and offshore.
- What’s the regulation that Australia consistently breaches?
A 1974 agreement stipulates nations must maintain 90 90-day supply of oil, but Australia currently has only 49 days’ worth.
- What would occur in the event of fuel exhaustion?
Food won’t make it to the supermarket, and medicine to the pharmacy, because most trucks use diesel.
- Where does Australia import fuel from?
Primarily from Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, because we only have two refineries remaining now.
- Does the government consider this to be an issue?
They claim that Australia is “fuel secure” and has more stock than in the past 15 years, using their own method of measurement.
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