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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Iran war live updates<\/a>:\u00a0For the latest news on the Middle East crisis, read our blog<\/p>\n “All the orders are locked in and contracted. Once it’s contracted, the fuel belongs to the Australian company that’s bought it \u2026 that is legally locked in, so that’s encouraging,” he told ABC RN.<\/p>\n “Of course, there is a risk in international circumstance and [the] international situation, but every step that can be taken is being taken.”<\/p>\n According to the latest data, 274 service stations across the country are now out of diesel, down from more than 400 on Good Friday.<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n State or territoryService stations without fuelNew South Wales142 without diesel, 39 with no fuel.Victoria51\u00a0without diesel, 30 with no unleaded.\u00a0Queensland38 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.<\/p>\n