Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee

Sean Bell

At the request of Senator Hanson, I move:

That the following matter be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 11 May 2026:

The adequacy of Australia's domestic fuel reserves, refining capacity, supply chains and related national security arrangements in light of the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, with particular reference to:

(a) Australia's current and projected stocks of liquid fuels (including petrol, diesel, aviation fuels, marine fuels and critical lubricants), their compliance with International Energy Agency obligations, and the resilience of those stocks under scenarios of prolonged disruption to global oil and gas supplies;

(b) the capacity, distribution and ownership of Australia's domestic refining infrastructure, import terminals, fuel pipelines, rail and road freight networks, and their ability to maintain national supply during regional or global crises;

(c) the vulnerability of Australia's fuel supply chains to disruptions arising from conflict affecting key maritime chokepoints, including the Strait of Hormuz and other critical sea lanes;

(d) the dependence of the Australian Defence Force and allied operations in the region on assured access to liquid fuels, including the suitability of existing Defence fuel storage, distribution networks and contracting arrangements to support sustained operations in high-threat environments;

(e) the likely economic, social and regional impacts of a severe or prolonged fuel disruption on essential services, food and medical supply chains, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transport and households, particularly in rural, regional and remote communities;

(f) the effectiveness of existing Commonwealth legislation, regulations, policies and agreements, including minimum stockholding obligations, and emergency management frameworks, in ensuring fuel security and price stability during crises; and

(g) options to strengthen Australia's fuel resilience and sovereignty, including:

(i) expansion and geographic diversification of on-shore strategic fuel reserves,

(ii) Australian domestic liquid fuel exploration, production and refining, and

(iii) alignment of fuel security policy with broader defence, energy, and industry strategies; and

(h) any related matters.

Sue Lines

The question is that business of the Senate notice of motion No. 2, standing in the name of Senator Hanson and moved by Senator Bell, be agreed to.