Pressure over fuel, fertiliser as refinery burns

Australian farmers will person fertiliser faster arsenic sowing play begins, arsenic the authorities faces unit implicit what the absorption says is simply a deficiency of results from the premier minister’s planetary trips to enactment up substance supplies.

It comes arsenic occurrence crews battled a blaze that broke retired astatine an Australian lipid refinery which provides ten per cent of the nation’s fuel.

The national authorities has announced a streamlined borderline import process for fertiliser arsenic the Middle East struggle continues to enactment unit connected supplies.

Sixty per cent of the supply of urea to Australia for fertiliser travels done the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained closed since US-Israeli strikes launched connected Iran successful February.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the changes will trim costs, trim larboard clearance times, little administrative burdens and guarantee the information of fertiliser anterior to shipping.

She said strict biosecurity standards will not beryllium impacted.

“There’s capable fertiliser successful Australia today and connected its way connected the water successful terms of the archetypal planting season,” Collins told Sky News connected Thursday.

“This is astir longer term supplies due to the fact that of the unpredictability and we don’t cognize however agelong this is going to go.”

The changes see certification from an authorised inspector offshore that the goods are escaped of biosecurity hazard for each imports and a request for importers utilizing higher-risk pathways to supply a bagged illustration for anterior inspection.

Meanwhile, Trade Minister Don Farrell is travelling to Singapore connected Thursday to articulation Foreign Minister Penny Wong successful a bid to warrant ongoing substance supplies.

It follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Singapore past week, where helium agreed connected strengthening vigor ties with his counterpart Lawrence Wong.

Singapore provided 26 per cent of Australia’s refined substance imports successful 2025, while Australia was the source of 32 per cent by volume of Singapore’s LNG imports.

Albanese is successful Malaysia where helium continues his string of planetary visits to enactment up Australia’s substance supplies.

Malaysia supplies 14 per cent of Australia’s diesel, 10 per cent of its petrol and 11 per cent of its pitchy fuel, and is besides the nation’s largest supplier of crude oil.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor questioned whether the trip was delivering results for Australians.

“How galore much (litres of fuel) has the premier curate generated connected his trip done Asia? Is this conscionable a photograph opportunity?” helium told reporters successful the Gold Coast.

“Is this conscionable producing associated statements, oregon is it going to present fuel?”

Taylor said the unprecedented occurrence successful Geelong astatine 1 of Australia’s two operational lipid refineries meant the authorities had to work adjacent harder “to get much shipments” into the country.

The refinery produces 50 per cent of Victoria’s substance and 10 per cent of Australia’s.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said substance supplies would beryllium impacted for some time.

Source: AAP