Portfolio — 29 July 2026

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Wong, used two media interviews to announce a new Australia–Singapore Protocol on Economic Resilience and Essential Supplies, positioning fuel security as the connecting thread between international trade architecture, domestic refining capacity and the imminent end of the fuel excise [TA-260728-foreig-39f5d22c21e5].

**Singapore protocol and sovereign supply**

Senator Wong said the protocol grants each country priority access to trade in fuel and food products. She described it as part of a broader government effort to secure diesel, petrol, jet fuel and fertiliser, citing past refinery closures and arguing that both international agreements and a new domestic refinery are needed to lift sovereign capacity [TA-260728-foreig-39f5d22c21e5].

The announcement builds on the recent travel-advisory uplift for Bahrain and Kuwait, with the portfolio continuing to emphasise securing essential supplies for Australians in the region [TA-260728-foreig-6b0de00aecbb].

**Fuel excise cessation and cost-of-living context**

The Minister confirmed that the fuel excise is scheduled to step down and be discontinued by the weekend. She said the government maintains cost-of-living measures including wage growth, bulk-billing support, childcare assistance and energy relief. Across both interviews, fuel security emerged as the through-line, linking the Singapore protocol, domestic refinery support and the upcoming cessation of the fuel excise [TA-260728-foreig-39f5d22c21e5].

**Synthesis**

The interviews connect fuel security to both foreign policy and domestic economic priorities. The Singapore protocol provides the international architecture; the domestic refinery proposal addresses sovereign capacity; and the fuel excise cessation connects the agenda to household costs. The continuity with last week's travel-advisory uplift for Bahrain and Kuwait reinforces the portfolio's regional focus on essential supply chains [TA-260728-foreig-6b0de00aecbb].