It’s been hard to ignore growing fears of a looming fuel shortage in Australia. Conflict in the Middle East has led to what the International Energy Agency has called the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market”.
The federal government has been at pains to reassure the public Australia’s fuel supply is secure until mid-April. Tankers carrying diesel, petrol and jet fuel are already heading here from places such as India, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. In the short term, supplies look steady.
However, there’s one fuel where Australia is particularly exposed: diesel. Our whole economy depends on it. Trucks that move our food and goods around, machinery used in farming and mining, and even backup generators all rely on diesel.
