Australia meets its oil needs with a mix of relatively small domestic production and large imports of crude and, increasingly, refined fuels like petrol and diesel.

Where Australia gets its oil from

  • Australia is a net importer of oil; local production does not cover demand, so the country relies heavily on overseas suppliers for both crude oil and refined petroleum products.
  • Most remaining domestic crude and condensate production comes from offshore basins on the North West Shelf (for example, the Bonaparte and Browse basins), but this is only part of total consumption.

Main suppliers of refined petroleum (petrol, diesel, jet fuel)

  • In 2024, the leading supplier of refined petroleum to Australia was South Korea, followed by Singapore, Malaysia, India and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan).
  • These imports are mainly finished fuels (petrol, diesel, jet fuel, LPG), reflecting the closure of most Australian refineries and a shift to importing ready‑to‑use products.

Top refined fuel suppliers to Australia (2024)

[9][3] [3][9] [9] [1][9] [9]
Rank Country What they mainly supply
1 South Korea Largest source of refined petroleum products to Australia in 2024.
2 Singapore Major regional refining and trading hub supplying petrol, diesel and jet fuel.
3 Malaysia Significant supplier of refined petroleum products.
4 India Growing source of diesel and other refined fuels.
5 Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) Additional refined product imports.

Crude oil vs refined product

  • Australia still imports some crude oil as refinery feedstock, but the bulk of energy imports are now refined petroleum products and LPG , not crude.
  • Domestic crude grades from the North West Shelf are often less suited to the remaining east‑coast refineries than international crudes, which is one reason imports remain important.

Russian-linked supply via other countries

  • A notable recent issue is that some of the refined fuel Australia buys from India comes from refineries that use Russian crude oil in their feedstock.
  • Between early 2023 and mid‑2025, Australia imported several billion US dollars’ worth of oil products from a few Indian refineries, with a substantial share estimated to be refined from Russian-origin crude, particularly from the Jamnagar refinery.

Quick recap

  • Australia gets its “oil” (in practical terms: petrol, diesel, jet fuel and LPG) mainly from refineries in South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Taiwan.
  • Local offshore production covers only part of needs, so imported refined products now dominate, with some of those imports indirectly linked to Russian crude via third‑country refineries.

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