Australia to study first new oil refinery in 60 years

Australia refinery Western Australia fuel security pre‑feasibility study net‑zero criticism

The Australian federal government and the Western Australian government will jointly fund a A$4 million pre‑feasibility study to assess the construction of a large‑scale oil refinery in Western Australia. If approved, it would be the first new refinery built in Australia since the 1960s and is presented as a step to improve the nation’s fuel security after the US‑Iran war highlighted vulnerabilities in imported petrol, jet fuel and diesel.

The proposal has drawn sharp political criticism. Nationals leader Matt Canavan called it an “admission of failure” of the government’s net‑zero policies, while MP Allegra Spender said Australia lacks sufficient domestic crude to sustain a new refinery. Australia currently imports about 90 % of its liquid fuels, with only two existing refineries – the Ampol plant in Queensland and the Viva Energy facility in Victoria – supplying the remaining domestic output.

Entities: Allegra Spender · Anthony Albanese · Australian Federal Government · Karratha · Karratha, Western Australia · Madeleine King · Matt Canavan · Perdaman · Roger Cook · Western Australian Government

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 4 SOURCES] The project aims to strengthen national fuel security amid the Middle East conflict that has disrupted oil supplies. (all articles)
[● 4 SOURCES] The study will examine building a large‑scale refinery at Karratha in Western Australia. (all articles)
[● 4 SOURCES] Australia currently imports about 80‑90 % of its liquid fuel. (all articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] The refinery would be built by industrial chemicals producer Perdaman. (articles 2,3,4)
[● 6 SOURCES] If built, the refinery would be the first new oil refinery in Australia since the 1960s. (Analyst commentary)
[● 7 SOURCES] The Australian federal government allocated AU$4 million for a pre‑feasibility study of a new oil refinery. (Government announcement)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The existing Australian refineries are the Ampol refinery in Queensland and the Viva Energy plant in Victoria. (Industry overview)
[● 4 SOURCES] The Australian government announced a feasibility study for a new large‑scale oil refinery in Western Australia. (dab3cffe-aebc-4fb1-8a32-da5ad8f95917, 1de0002e-4496-4888-9294-2d0359402bf0, ddcbd1bc-6fd4-41b2-a87f-97d86e99654f, 734e3d)
[● 2 SOURCES] The US‑Iran war has caused surging petrol prices and highlighted Australia’s fuel‑security vulnerabilities. (Analyst commentary)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Australia imports about 90 % of its petrol, jet fuel and diesel from Asia. (Research analysis)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Federal and Western Australian governments will jointly fund a A$4 million pre‑feasibility study for the refinery. (dab3cffe-aebc-4fb1-8a32-da5ad8f95917)
[● 2 SOURCES] MP Allegra Spender said Australia lacks domestic crude oil to sustain a new refinery. (Interview)