Barnaby Joyce Slams Oil Refinery Closures as 'Really Stupid' Decision
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has branded the closure of Australian oil refineries during successive Coalition governments as a "really stupid decision" borne out of a capitulation to "the climate change edicts and tsars." Critics have linked Australia's vulnerability to a potential fuel supply shortage to the country's lack of manufacturing capability, pointing to Australia only having two domestic refineries still operating in the country.
Refinery Shutdowns Under Successive Governments
Six refining facilities have been shut down since the start of the century, under both Labor and Coalition governments. It has led to Australia relying heavily on imported fuel, with about 90 per cent of its supply sourced from overseas. The majority of this supply comes from Asian refineries that rely on oil shipments from the Middle East that in turn have been disrupted by the war with Iran.
On Monday, Mr Joyce made the surprising claims about domestic facility shutdowns on Seven's Sunrise after host Nat Barr pointed out the two most recent closures occurred while now Opposition Leader Angus Taylor was energy minister and Mr Joyce was part of the Coalition government.
Joyce's Climate Change Allegations
"(It was a) really stupid decision, and it's all to try (to) oblige the climate change edicts and tsars from overseas, which has really hurt Australia," Mr Joyce said. Barr interrupted, asking Mr Joyce if he was saying the facilities had been shut down because of pressure from the climate change lobby, rather than a lack of economic viability.
"Are you saying that those oil refineries closed down because of pressure from climate, not because if they were making millions and millions of dollars, that they still would have just closed down?" she asked. In response, Mr Joyce instead pointed to One Nation's forthcoming attempt to remove refineries from the safeguard mechanism that requires high-emitting industrial facilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Political Responses and Fuel Security Measures
"We'll move an amendment to get rid of refineries from the safeguard mechanism and other things pertinent to getting cheap fuel or cheaper fuel or cheaper electricity to people ... see if the government, even in the middle of this crisis, wants to support us," he said. "I bet you they don't because they have a religious zeal for climate change that goes beyond." Mr Joyce then added he supported Anthony Albanese's announcement of new fuel security powers, where the federal government will underwrite additional fuel cargoes and strategic reserves as needed.
The Albanese government has insisted Australia's fuel supply is secure, with 39 days of petrol, 30 days of jet fuel, and 30 days of diesel left. It says shipments are arriving as expected – and implemented measures like the temporary relaxing of fuel standards and fuel security powers – but warned the duration of the Middle East conflict would ultimately determine how hard the crisis could hit Australian households.
Coalition Demands and Industry Warnings
Inside Parliament House, the Coalition has moved to pause Senate proceedings to urgently discuss the fuel crisis. The motion condemned "the Albanese government's failure to provide urgent relief," blamed the government for families and businesses "paying more" because it "has no plan to deal with rising living costs or fuel supply pressures," and called on Labor "to stop delaying, stop deflecting and immediately deliver urgent relief by halving the fuel excise for three months and reducing the Heavy Vehicle Road User Charge."
Pointing to warnings from the waste industry, opposition Senate leader Michaelia Cash said spokespeople "made it very clear to the Albanese government ... 'we're actually important'." "If the bins don't get emptied, do you know what happens within 48 hours across the aged care industry and healthcare industry? Disease runs rampant,'" Senator Cash told the upper house. "They actually said this is potentially catastrophic."
Government Calls for Responsible Fuel Use
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has urged Australians to use fuel "responsibly" amid surging petrol prices triggered by the US-Israel-Iran war, as fears grow of a looming supply shortage. Asked if families should consider travelling by car over the Easter long weekend, Mr Chalmers told the ABC: "People will make their own decisions about that. Obviously, we want people to use fuel responsibly. We want to make sure that we avoid big spikes in demand, big unnecessary spikes in demand."
Mr Chalmers, speaking ahead of the national cabinet meeting called by the Prime Minister to address the fuel crisis, said one of the reasons the meeting had been called was to avoid "harsh restrictions." "We want to avoid those kind of heavy-handed Covid (pandemic) interventions and to make sure that people are doing the most responsible thing they can," he said. Asked if work-from-home arrangements would be mandated, Mr Chalmers said the federal government was trying to avoid top-down directives but added that "work from home, in a number of instances, makes a lot of sense."
