Anthony Albanese travels to Brunei and Malaysia to secure fuel supplies amid Middle East conflict
The prime minister will visit more Asian nations to lock in energy supplies as the Australian government responds to the fuel crisis.
The prime minister will try to shore up supplies of fuel and other essential commodities in a four-day trip to key trading partners.
Anthony Albanese will travel to Brunei and Malaysia on Tuesday as efforts to safeguard the flow of petrol, diesel and other critical imports ramp up amid ongoing instability spurred by conflict in the Middle East.
Both nations play important roles in Australia’s fuel-supply chains and the trip will build on a recent visit to another vital exporter, Singapore.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Albanese said bolstering ties with regional partners was essential to maintaining energy security during uncertain times.
“We are taking every step to reinforce relationships and engage with key partners to keep our fuel supply flowing,” he said.
The prime minister will meet the sultan of Brunei to discuss energy, food security and the movement of essential goods.
Brunei provides about nine per cent of Australia’s diesel imports.
Talks will also focus on deepening an existing partnership that was formed in 2023.
He will meet his Malaysian counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim, to discuss fuel supply.
Malaysia is Australia’s third-largest source of refined fuel and supplies 10 per cent of Australian fertiliser imports.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong will also meet her counterparts from Malaysia and Brunei on the four-day visit.
The trip comes as the government begins rolling out a $20 million advertising campaign asking the public to help conserve fuel by changing their driving habits or leaving the car at home.
But Curtin University sustainability expert Peter Newman criticised the move, saying similar campaigns had been evaluated in the past and shown to have virtually no impact.
He also described as “desperately stupid” a West Australian government plan to develop a state-based diesel stockpile, independent of national fuel reserves.
“It’s going to be very expensive and difficult to even access that (extra) diesel and petrol (on the global market),” Professor Newman told AAP.
In comparison, he said it was a “no brainer” for Australia to speed up the transition to electrified transport.
“We can be a world leader in that, not a world leader in how much (petrol and diesel) we can store up,” Prof Newman said.
