where does australia get fuel from
Australia gets most of its fuel from overseas, with only a small share coming from domestic oil and gas production and the two remaining refineries onshore.
Quick Scoop: Where Australia Gets Fuel From
1. Big Picture
- Australia relies heavily on imported liquid fuels (petrol, diesel, jet fuel), rather than fuel made from its own crude oil.
- More than half of Australia’s liquid fuel needs are imported, and recent analysis puts that closer to around 80% of liquid fuel being brought in from overseas as local refining has declined.
2. Imports: Main Fuel Sources
Australia’s supply chain for transport fuels has two main parts:
- Imported refined fuel (already processed petrol, diesel, jet fuel):
- Comes by tanker from large refineries in the Asia–Pacific region , especially Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and sometimes other regional hubs like Malaysia.
* This is now the dominant way Australia gets its fuel because several domestic refineries have closed and the remaining two cannot meet all demand.
- Imported crude oil (then refined in Australia):
- Some crude oil is imported and processed at the two remaining Australian refineries (Viva Energy Geelong in Victoria and Ampol Lytton in Queensland).
- These refineries typically process a mix of domestic and imported crude, often sourced from countries such as Malaysia and other Asia–Pacific producers, depending on price and refinery configuration.
3. Domestic Production: What Australia Produces Itself
- Australia does produce crude oil, condensate and LPG , mainly offshore in the Carnarvon and Gippsland basins and other northwest offshore gas fields.
- However, these resources are “small by world standards” and a significant portion of locally produced crude and condensate is actually exported , because it does not always match what local refineries are configured to process.
- Australia also has biofuels (like ethanol from sugar by‑products) contributing a small but growing share of transport fuel.
4. Energy vs Transport Fuel
It’s worth separating transport fuel from overall energy :
- Transport fuel (petrol, diesel, jet fuel) is dominated by oil , and much of that comes from overseas as imports.
- In overall energy terms (electricity, industry, etc.), fossil fuels still supply over 90% of Australia’s primary energy mix, with oil about 41%, coal 25%, and gas 25% as of 2023/24.
- At the same time, renewables are rapidly increasing, and Australia has recently passed a milestone of over 50% renewables at times in the electricity grid, but that mostly affects power generation, not liquid fuel use.
5. Why This Is a Big Topic Now
- With only two refineries left and about 80% of liquid fuel imported, analysts and government bodies have flagged fuel security risks if there are global supply shocks or disruptions to shipping routes.
- Reports and inquiries over the last few years have pushed for:
- Minimum domestic fuel stockholding requirements.
- Support for local refineries as “strategic assets.”
- Diversifying fuel sources and routes and gradually shifting more transport away from oil (e.g., electric vehicles, more public transport, and alternative fuels).
6. Simple Summary Table
| Segment | Where fuel comes from |
|---|---|
| Petrol & diesel used at the bowser | Mostly imported refined fuel from Asia–Pacific refineries (e.g., Singapore, South Korea, Japan), plus a smaller share refined in Australia from domestic and imported crude. | [4][8][5]
| Crude oil used in Aussie refineries | Mix of domestic offshore fields (Carnarvon, Gippsland, etc.) and imported crude from regional suppliers. | [5]
| Overall liquid fuel supply | More than half imported; recent estimates suggest around 80% of liquid fuel is now imported as local refining capacity has shrunk. | [8][5]
| Broader energy system | Still dominated by fossil fuels, with oil around 41% of primary energy, but renewables in electricity are growing quickly. | [3][9]
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.