Australian Government Deploys ‘Strategic Reserve’ Power to Secure 100 Million Litres of Diesel

The new powers were introduced to help manage the fuel crisis caused by the war in the Middle East.

An oil tanker seized by Iranian naval forces at the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, on Oct. 31, 2022. IRNA/AFP via Getty Images

The federal government has used “strategic reserve powers” to secure 100 million litres of diesel fuel in two shipments, from Brunei and South Korea, by partly subsidising the purchase.

This is the first time those powers have been invoked during the present fuel crisis. Around 90 percent of the country’s fuel is imported.