Portfolio — 30 May 2026

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen announced two interconnected fuel security measures on 30 May, extending the government's operational flexibility on domestic stockholding while adding a seventeenth cargo to the Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility [TA-260530-climat-7fd3051d0ec2]. The temporary relaxation of the baseline Minimum Stockholding Obligation for petrol and diesel — which permits suppliers to hold 20 percent less fuel in reserve provided they increase domestic deliveries — has been extended by three months to 30 September 2026 [TA-260530-climat-7fd3051d0ec2].

Bowen framed the extension as appropriate given record domestic fuel reserve levels and the additional buffer provided by fuel secured through Export Finance Australia [TA-260530-climat-7fd3051d0ec2]. The second measure is a new 40-million-litre diesel shipment for Queensland, procured through Export Finance Australia and Freedom Fuels, scheduled to arrive in June for regional distribution.

That cargo brings total additional fuel delivered under the Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility to approximately 690 million litres of diesel and 150 million litres of jet fuel across 17 cargoes. The facility has also supported around 205,000 tonnes of agricultural-grade urea through agreements with Export Finance Australia, CSBP and Incitec Pivot, indicating the facility's dual role in underpinning both transport fuel and farm input supply chains.

The releases explicitly cite global market disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict as the context for these measures, with the Minimum Stockholding Obligation relaxation and active procurement together positioned as a coordinated national response. Minister for Trade Don Farrell was quoted in the same statement, saying the underwriting of extra fuel purchases helps keep road transport and farm machinery moving during supply volatility — a cross-portfolio framing that ties fuel security directly to agricultural and regional economic continuity.