A statement from GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel.
GrainGrowers welcomes the Federal Government’s Australian Fuel Security and Resilience package, which addresses a number of the priorities outlined in our long-standing fuel security policy, and the inclusion of onshore storage for fertiliser stocks.
Given the grain sector’s heavy reliance on liquid fuel through every stage of production, the policy calls for sustained investment to strengthen Australia’s fuel resilience and today’s announcement is a positive step forward.
Establishing a domestic government-owned Australian Fuel Security Reserve demonstrates significant progress, particularly the focus on addressing regional stockouts and ensuring supply for essential users during times of crisis.
Today’s announcement also bolsters onshore storage of fertiliser stocks. Fertiliser shocks have created significant cost and supply challenges for growers since the conflict began.
GrainGrowers remains committed to working in partnership with government and industry to support efforts to deliver real outcomes for growers.
The conflict in the Middle East has demonstrated vulnerabilities in some of Australia’s key agricultural supply chains, reinforcing the urgent need to bolster domestic capability, including new or expanded fuel refining capacity.
Strengthening domestic refining, storage and distribution infrastructure is essential to ensure continuity of supply for critical sectors such as agriculture during periods of instability.
It is vital that critical input access for grain production and supply chains is explicitly prioritised, recognising agriculture’s role in both domestic food security and export markets.
ENDS