Australia’s emergency fuel storage down to only 58 days as Labor looks at increasing reserves

Caltex’s Lytton refinery in Brisbane. Defence research has highlighted Australia has only 58 days’ of fuel in storage. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

The defence minister, Richard Marles, says he is considering increasing Australia’s onshore fuel storage as new figures show the nation has just 58 days’ of emergency fuel in storage, less than two-thirds of the international standard of 90 days.

Marles was responding to research commissioned by the department of defence and released on Tuesday morning that warned 90% of Australia’s fuel imports would be at risk amid conflict in the South China Sea.