200m litres of extra diesel secured for Australia: Albanese

An extra 200 million litres of diesel are headed for Australian shores, the Prime Minister has announced. Two cargoes are coming from South Korea, and one from Brunei and another from Malaysia, Anthony Albanese told reporters in Sydney. Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the extra cargoes would provide “extra supply to give us an extra buffer”. They will arrive in Australia in the last week of May or the first week of June, Mr Bowen said. “A total of just over 200 million litres going to Brisbane, to Geelong, to here in Sydney, and importantly, to Kwinana in Perth,” he said. Mr Albanese said there was a “great deal of volatility” as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. “We’ve been very clear about the consequences of this volatility. What we can do here in Australia is to do everything we can to secure supply,” he said. “That’s precisely what we are doing. We’re also diplomatically have continued to call for a de-escalation. We’ve continued to work with partners, as well participate in discussions.” He pointed to a conversation the night prior with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, where the two leaders expressed their “deep concern” about the situation in the Middle East and its consequences for the Indo-Pacific, including an unprecedented shock to global energy markets. “I have other calls scheduled over coming days, including today. This is an extremely volatile period for the entire world,” he said. “There is no getting away from that, and Australia is not immune from the consequences, but what we are doing is working hard each and every day in the interests of Australians.” More to come