Australia buys most of its oil in the form of refined petroleum products (petrol, diesel, jet fuel) from large refining hubs in the Asia–Pacific region, rather than crude oil from one single country.

Main suppliers right now

Australia is a net importer of oil and relies heavily on nearby Asian refineries.

For refined petroleum products (the stuff that actually goes into cars, trucks and planes), the main source countries are:

  • South Korea – currently the largest single supplier of refined petroleum to Australia.
  • Singapore – a major regional refining and trading hub sending large volumes of petrol, diesel and jet fuel.
  • Malaysia – another key supplier of refined fuel into Australia.
  • India – growing rapidly as a supplier, especially diesel and other fuels from mega-refineries.
  • Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) – an additional significant source of refined fuel.

In trade value terms for refined petroleum in 2024, Australia’s top import sources were South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Chinese Taipei.

Crude oil vs refined fuel

Australia does produce some crude oil offshore (e.g., North West Shelf), but:

  • Local crude is often not well‑matched to the configurations of the remaining Australian refineries.
  • As a result, Australia exports much of its own crude and imports refinery feedstock and finished fuels from overseas.

Over the last decade, multiple Australian refineries have closed, which has pushed the system further toward importing refined products rather than crude.

Russian oil and indirect exposure

Officially, Australia has sanctions and restrictions on direct imports of Russian crude and many Russian oil products.

However, there is an important nuance: some of the fuel Australia buys from India comes from refineries that use discounted Russian crude as feedstock.

  • Between early 2023 and mid‑2025, Australia imported several billion US dollars’ worth of oil products from a small number of large Indian refineries that process Russian crude.
  • The Jamnagar refinery in India has been the dominant source among these, supplying the overwhelming majority of such imports.

So even if Australia is not buying directly from Russia, some imported diesel, gasoline and jet fuel likely originates from Russian crude that has been refined in India.

Simple takeaway

If you zoom out and ask “where does Australia buy oil from?” today, the practical answer is:

  • Mainly from refineries in Asia – especially South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Chinese Taipei – in the form of refined petroleum products.
  • With some indirect exposure to Russian crude , via fuels refined in India and then exported to Australia.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.