Fuel shipments to Australia have been secured “well into” May and the number of service stations with diesel and petrol shortages have fallen over the Easter weekend, Energy Minister Chris Bowen has said.

The government previously said Australia’s fuel supplies were locked in until the end of April, but Mr Bowen told reporters today that authorities were now working to secure supplies for the following month.

Iran war live updates: For the latest news on the Middle East crisis, read our blog

“All the orders are locked in and contracted. Once it’s contracted, the fuel belongs to the Australian company that’s bought it … that is legally locked in, so that’s encouraging,” he told ABC RN.

“Of course, there is a risk in international circumstance and [the] international situation, but every step that can be taken is being taken.”

According to the latest data, 274 service stations across the country are now out of diesel, down from more than 400 on Good Friday.

Loading

In New South Wales, the state with the highest number of shortages, 6 per cent of stations were now out of diesel, Mr Bowen said.

“Most of the other outages are around 2 to 3 per cent around the country. New South Wales has been higher because the farmers are seeding and sowing and they’ve been the priority, to get fuel to them,” he said.

“That means we’ve had more outages in New South Wales than anyone would like, but that figure has been coming down, including over Easter.”

State or territoryService stations without fuelNew South Wales142 without diesel, 39 with no fuel.Victoria51 without diesel, 30 with no unleaded. Queensland38 without diesel, 32 with no unleaded.South Australia9 without diesel, 5 with no unleaded.Western Australia19 without diesel, 29 with no unleaded.Tasmania7 without diesel, 7 with no unleaded.Northern Territory4 without diesel, 4 with no unleaded.Australian Capital Territory4 without diesel, 2 with no unleaded.

On Friday, Mr Bowen said 53 ships carrying fuel were on the way to Australia from refineries around the world, including in Asia, the United States and Mexico.

Australia and Singapore have signed a joint commitment to continue the trade of fuels, with the government seeking to land similar deals with other Asian nations.

“The prime minister’s been, of course, talking to his counterparts. I’ve been talking to mine. Foreign Minister [Penny] Wong has been talking to hers,” Mr Bowen told reporters at a media conference in Sydney.

“We continue to see no ships cancelled that have been contracted for Australia, [and] extra orders being delivered.”

The country’s fuel stockpile remains at 39 days of petrol, 29 days of diesel and 30 days of jet fuel.

Mr Bowen said this had been “pretty consistent” since the beginning of the war.

Mr Albanese used a rare address to the nation last week to ask Australians to switch to public transport if they could in an effort to save fuel, but simultaneously stressed that people should continue to live as normal as the crisis rolled on.

But he also acknowledged that the coming months “may not be easy”, as the war in the Middle East continued without a clear end in sight.

“These are uncertain times, but I am absolutely certain of this: we will deal with these challenges in the Australian way, working together and looking after each other, as we always have,” Mr Albanese said.

Loading…