The Australian government has secured an additional 38,500 tonnes of agricultural grade urea from Brunei to support local farmers.
The Federal Government also confirmed three shipments of jet fuel, totalling more than 600,000 barrels or 10 million litres.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia needs to continue working and communicating closely with other countries to surge through ongoing supply chain disruptions.
“In the face of global challenges, my Government will leave no stone unturned to shield Australians from the impact of global fuel challenges,” the Prime Minister said.
“The additional 600,000 barrels of jet fuel will help keep Australia moving, and the extra fertiliser will help provide certainty to our farmers.”
The urea shipment adds to the fertiliser and fuel secured by the Federal Government’s $7.5 billion Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility, designed to assist the country’s agriculture and transport industries to navigate operations during the conflict in the Middle East.
The scheme has now obtained nearly 125,000 tonnes of agricultural grade urea, in addition to the 250,000 tonnes secured from Indonesia in partnership with Incitec Pivot.
Minister for foreign affairs Penny Wong said Australia must continue to work closely with countries in its region, and building strong relationships is vital to navigating during times of uncertainty.
“Australia is working with countries in our region to respond to this unprecedented shock to the global economy and ensure the continued flow of essential fuels,” Wong said.
“The Australian Government is focused on securing the supplies – including diesel, jet fuel, petrol and fertiliser – that Australia needs.”
Minister for agriculture, fisheries, and forestry Julie Collins said the Federal Government is doing absolutely everything in its power to provide Australian farmers with “confidence for the future”.
“The additional fertiliser we have secured through our $7.5 billion Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility will mean Australia’s farmers can keep farming,” Collins said.
“Having access to critical inputs like fertiliser underpins the food security of Australia and the countries we export to, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, which is why we’ve been working day and night with industry to get fertiliser to our farmers.”
