Press conference, Sydney, New South Wales

MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY, CHRIS BOWEN: Thanks for coming out, everyone. I’m giving today’s weekly update on Sunday. For obvious reasons I didn’t do it yesterday.

I’m pleased to say that Australia’s fuel stocks continue to be very solid. We have 44 days worth of petrol, which is 8 days more than when Iran was first bombed. We have 33 days worth of diesel, which is one day more than when this crisis began.

And we have 30 days worth of jet fuel, which is also one day more than the beginning of the war in the Middle East. I’m also pleased to tell you, there are 58 ships as of last night on their way to Australia with fuel. There have been several of those dock during the week.

Last week’s figure was 61 and some of those 58 are expected to dock in Australia as soon as today. As you know, I also weekly give you an update, give Australians an update on the forward orders for the next four weeks of contracted fuel supplies that will be delivered to Australia. And that is now up to 4.6 billion litres.

Last week’s update was 4.1 billion litres and it is up to 4.6 and the increase is primarily diesel, that is up around 500 million litres. We have 2.6 billion litres worth of diesel on the way, on order, contracted for Australia for the next four weeks. 624 million litres of petrol, 489 million litres of jet fuel, and 939 million litres of crude oil, which will then be obviously refined — in our two refineries into refined fuel.

So, as this international crisis continues, with frankly, continuing uncertainty around the world about when and how it will end, the Government will continue to take every step necessary to ensure security of fuel supply to Australia. We have, as you know, over the course of the last week, announced 400 million litres of extra diesel, which will arrive during May or the first week of June, which will be extra supply — over and above what normally would have been delivered — just to give us an extra added buffer.

And of course, during the course of this week, I expect to be making further announcements about progress in securing more fuel for Australia. Happy to take questions. May I go to the journalists who are here in person first and then go to the phone?

JOURNALIST: Minister, major banks are reporting, with their political ESG strategies, that they are more hesitant to help finance domestic fuel refining and traditional energy projects. Do you see your transition strategy as damaging energy security or pushing up… MINISTER BOWEN: On the contrary, contrary. Absolutely not.

I mean, what we’ve done is bring the fuel stocks home. Those stocks that I just announced to you, the weekly update — that fuel is in Australia. Under previous arrangements, before this government, stocks were held in Texas.

We saw four refineries close during a Liberal period in office. No refineries closed, and none will close, under our time in office. In addition, we’re building energy security through diversifying our energy, including renewable energy — including the sun that can’t be interrupted in its flow to Australia.

And the wind that can’t be interrupted by sanctions. Now, in addition, what I’ve said and what the government has consistently said is that if there are proposals for more oil extraction in Australia, they should be very carefully and sensibly looked at with a view to replacing oil imports. Absolutely.

But, you know, there were no new oil drilling projects begun under Angus Taylor’s time as Energy Minister or Matt Canavan’s time as resources minister. They were in a position, if they felt this so strongly, to do something about it at that time. They didn’t.

We have seen a proposal from Queensland. We still have not received an application. You can’t fast-track an application you haven’t received.

But when we do get applications, we will deal with them expeditiously and sensibly to ensure that if it is possible to replace oil imports, they’ll be replaced with Australian oil. But we also have to ensure the other things that we’re doing, and that work will continue. JOURNALIST: Do you believe that government has a role — I guess, intervening in private banking policies — in order to protect [indistinct] — [indistinct] ensure Australia’s private energy security and national energy security?

MINISTER BOWEN: Look, I think economics and engineering will determine the level of oil extraction in Australia. Matt Canavan when he was minister — and I’m not critical of it — tried to get oil drilling up the Great Australian Bight. He couldn’t do it.

Their licences were handed back, because it hasn’t been regarded as feasible by the companies. So, what that means is that these proposals always need to be worked through carefully. It’s easy to say, you know, the sorts of things that Mr Canavan and Mr Taylor are saying now.

I didn’t hear them saying them so much when they were ministers for resources and energy for a long period of time. They were in office for nine years. Now they’re saying that there’s some sort of problem and that we should be drilling more.

Well, that’s not the approach they took when they were in office. JOURNALIST: Um, can I ask about COP 31. The impact of the current fuel crisis and global energy security crisis — do you expect that to have a role, I guess, maybe overshadowing or [indistinct] what should be a forum environment?

MINISTER BOWEN: Look, in my conversations with ministers around the world, and leaders around the world, there’s a very strong recognition that the transition to more renewable energy is good for energy security, good for reliability. We are dealing at the moment with a crisis in the supply crisis around fossil fuels. Of course, governments around the world, including us, are focussed on getting more secure supply in the short term, but also diversifying in the longer term.

And I expect that to play a strong role in COP 31. JOURNALIST: And how do you want to use that forum to advance the Albanese Government’s clean energy agenda? MINISTER BOWEN: Well, it’s a great opportunity to highlight Australia’s role as a safe and reliable destination for renewable energy investment.

It’s a great opportunity to highlight and elevate the issues of the Pacific, with us partnering in hosting and chairing COP 31 negotiations together with our friends in Türkiye— two middle powers, Türkiyeand Australia, working very closely together, to ensure as much progress as possible at COP 31. I’ll give further updates as COP gets closer and we get to November.

We’ll get further updates about how we’re using it, not only to progress sensible conversations around the world, but in Australia’s national interest. JOURNALIST: This is regarding the ISIS brides. When does the government expect them to arrive in Australia?

MINISTER BOWEN: Well, we have no role in assisting these people. Let me make it crystal clear. We have no role.

We intend to play no role. There are Australian citizens who are, from reports, seeking to return to Australia. They will be given absolutely no assistance to do so by the Albanese government.

And we will obviously continue to monitor the situation very closely. Note that under the previous government, the ISIS brides did return to Australia, and indeed, ISIS fighters returned to Australia. That’s something I know, representing this area.

That ISIS fighters and ISIS brides returned — those were Australian citizens — under that government. That’s something that they seem not to be keen to talk about these days. JOURNALIST: And when you talk about closely monitoring it, would the government consider further temporary exclusion orders?

MINISTER BOWEN: That’s a matter for Minister Burke. There’s a very high bar for having a temporary exclusion order — a very high bar, legally. He’s done that where he has been able to, and he’ll give further updates.

JOURNALIST: Do you think that in the intervening period, though — you know, February, we had the last sort of indication that this cohort was coming over — it’s April now — was there any sort of discussion you were made aware of in the intervening time about a temporary exclusion order? MINISTER BOWEN: Well, that’s a personal power for Mr Burke, it’s not a whole of government decision.

Questions on the phone? JOURNALIST: I wanted to pick up on what you said before about further announcements coming this week with extra fuel supply. What more can you tell us?

MINISTER BOWEN: Only to say, obviously, you know, we’ve already announced 400 million litres coming for Australia — extra diesel supply. We are in continued conversations with those companies that are participating in our Export Finance Australia support — BP, Viva, Ampol, IOR, Park Fuels — and when those cargos are finalised, you know, they come on to the market quickly, work very quickly, they turn that around, then get those cargos to Australians, then I’ll make further announcements when and if that happens and I expect to make more.

JOURNALIST: Just pivoting to Anzac Day. Can we get your response in regards to the booing during yesterday’s Anzac Day dawn services? MINISTER BOWEN: Look, I can’t think of anything more unpatriotic — because we were at the dawn service.

I was at a local dawn service, 6,000 people present, a great spirit and atmosphere — booing any part of the dawn service is the most unpatriotic thing I can think of. Unpatriotic. It is disgusting.

It is the most solemn, sacred national day. It’s for all Australians. It is for all Australians.

And to boo any part of a dawn service is utterly unpatriotic, unacceptable, and they should hang their heads in shame. JOURNALIST: You’ve ruled out in an interview with The Australian, rebuilding old domestic oil refineries. Have you had any discussions yet?

If you were to support the current running refineries — the two we have — in upscaling, what would the time and resource load on that be? MINISTER BOWEN: Look, I simply make this point. When a refinery closes, it’s effectively dismantled.

Rebuilding it is not that easy or cheap undertaking. The time to save a refinery is when it’s existing. That’s what we’ve done.

You know, the two refineries — I’ve increased the ability for them to access payments, to maintain their viability in a very competitive refining environment internationally. The time to save the four that closed was between 2013 and 2022 when they closed. You know, governments can intervene in things like refineries when a company says they’re struggling.

The Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison government chose not to intervene to save those four refineries. Angus Taylor was the minister for a very large part of that. And they saw those refineries close.

And my point has been, you can’t just rustle them back, magic them back — they’re dismantled. Now, obviously, it’s no secret, we’re in ongoing conversations about fuel security and what sensible things can be considered. There’s a Budget coming up.

If there are sensible measures, the government will consider them. But I do want to manage expectations about rebuilding at very great expense one of the refineries that closed under a Liberal government — that is not a realistic opportunity for our country. JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] Viva’s quarterly earnings.

We saw their margins per barrel roughly tripled on oil. Obviously, only one month of that is affected by the current war in Iran. But heading into the next quarter, have you had any discussions with them about managing affordability alongside…?

MINISTER BOWEN: Well, the biggest impact on petrol prices is international oil prices. And international oil prices have been very high. You know, if that’s the case, and that’s been flowing through to Australian diesel and petrol, and diesel and petrol right around the world..

You look at fuel prices in the United States, in Europe — they’re very high. And we’ll see some improvements in Australia as well. I’m pleased about that.

But, um, the fact of the matter is diesel and petrol are primarily being informed by the cost of oil internationally. JOURNALIST: I think you were talking about [indistinct] from Syria. [instinct] Do you know if they are soon to be returning to Australia? MINISTER BOWEN: All I know is what I’ve seen in reports, of course, but the Government is not repatriating anyone.

That has happened in the past, under governments of both persuasions, so people have been repatriated. That is not happening here. What we do have is some individuals who are Australian citizens who are seeking to return.

By reports, the Government is providing and will provide absolutely zero assistance to them. It’s not something that this government will do. JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] MINISTER BOWEN: Well, the Liberal Party has a choice here, and they’ve failed it.

I mean, here we have One Nation, a party which has said there’s no such thing as a good Muslim. And Angus Taylor says that that’s his preferred partner for preferences. It shows how far the Liberal Party has fallen.

I mean, John Howard showed more leadership than this. John Howard put One Nation last. Angus Taylor’s no John Howard.

Angus Taylor is no John Howard. JOURNALIST: I’m sorry, last one. The ISIS brides — you’ve said that the government isn’t really doing anything to help them out, but does the Government have a plan in place for them to be integrated into society when they arrive?

MINISTER BOWEN: Well, the Government won’t be doing that. That’s the point. If you do a repatriation, you can make that sort of decision.

We’re not doing that, and we won’t be doing that. There are people who are seeking to return to Australia — I believe that — but of course they can seek to do that. The government is giving them zero assistance to do that.

And if anyone has committed a crime, they should expect to be dealt with by the full force of the law. And again, there’s been repatriations in the past under governments of both persuasions, and indeed, as I said, under the Liberal government, actual ISIS fighters returned to Australia — not ISIS brides, ISIS fighters. So, you know, some of the comments from the opposition have been very brave from opposition benches when they were in government and we actually saw ISIS fighters return to Australia.

And I don’t recall them saying the sorts of things they’re saying now, when that was happening. MINISTER BOWEN: Okay, we might wrap it there. Thanks, everyone.

Cheers. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.