Australia is looking into building a major oil refinery as part of efforts to secure its fuel resources, exploring the plans against the backdrop of unstable global supply chains amid the conflict in the Middle East.
According to a government statement on Tuesday, the facility in Western Australia state "could be the first new large-scale petrol refinery built in Australia since the 1960s".
The authorities will conduct a A$4 million ($2.8 million) pre-feasibility study, part of a A$15 billion federal government package "to secure Australia's fuel security now and ensure our energy sovereignty into the future", it said.
Australia currently has two oil refineries — one in Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland, and the other in Geelong, Victoria.
"The longer war in the Middle East goes on the greater the impact on Australia will be, and my government will continue to do everything we can to shield Australia from the worst effects — and set us up for the future," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
