Establish a National Petroleum Development Program integrating Australian oil field development, refining capacity, domestic supply security and long-term fuel independence, alongside fuel contingency planning and regional emergency logistics.
01
Operational reform
Establish a National Petroleum Development Program integrating Australian oil field development, refining capacity, domestic supply security and long-term fuel independence, alongside fuel contingency planning and regional emergency logistics.
What Australians could experience
Greater domestic fuel security; potentially lower petrol, diesel and gas costs where production and infrastructure efficiencies are passed through; stronger regional employment; reduced overseas refining dependence; and improved fuel resilience for freight, farming, defence and emergency services.
Intended, conditional improvements — not guaranteed outcomes.
One consistent set of rules and standards for fuel security, domestic refining and energy independence across Australia.
Communities keep a direct say over local routes, planning decisions and environmental consultation.
Frontline staff and service points remain in communities; duplicated back-office administration is the target, not frontline capacity.
02
Establish a public baseline for fuel security, domestic refining and energy independence: laws, regulators, service locations, staff, contracts, information assets and spending in every jurisdiction.
Develop system-specific national standards and safeguards around the specific reform proposed — establish a national petroleum development program integrating australian oil field development, refining capacity, domestic supply security and long-term fuel independence, alongside fuel contingency planning and regional emergency logistics — and test it against the stated protections before it is adopted.
Pilot the model in representative metropolitan, regional and remote settings, with results published before migration is considered.
Transfer functions only with lawful authority, workforce consultation and verified uninterrupted service; keep frontline delivery regional and local.
Public register · proposal status, not a delivery claim
No system-specific evidence bundle is published or verified here. No approval, funding decision, authorised transfer or completed delivery is claimed.
If a federal governing mandate is earned, publish the National Fuel Security, Domestic Refining and Energy Independence baseline, legal options, consultation findings and independently reviewable costs. Only then decide publicly whether to proceed to detailed design or an authorised pilot; no transfer or rollout is implied.
A proposed gate is a condition for a future decision, not evidence that the decision has been made.
These are evidence requirements for this proposal, not completed research or verified findings.
Map the laws, decision rights, regulators, providers and intergovernmental responsibilities that apply to National Fuel Security, Domestic Refining and Energy Independence; identify constitutional questions and any required consent.
Publish baseline and annual data on access, processing time, safety/quality, regional equity, complaints, gross efficiency, transition spending and verified net financial impact for national fuel management.
Validate the addressable baseline and these cost drivers — Aggregated purchasing, planning, logistics. — then publish transition, parallel-running and ongoing costs separately from benefits.
Document how the stated protections will be tested (Competition, regional supply, transparent emergency powers), who was consulted, and how service continuity and regional equity will be monitored.
These public bodies may hold relevant baseline material. Links do not mean that evidence has been collected, independently verified, or that any body endorses S38.
Extended policy
Component 1
Catalogue producing, suspended and undeveloped fields by basin. Independently verify reserves, contingent resources, crude grade, production decline, recoverable barrels, approvals, infrastructure and capital/operating costs. Prioritise commercially feasible projects.
Component 2
Audit Geelong and Lytton/Brisbane refinery configuration and utilisation. Test domestic crude and condensate compatibility. Compare upgrades, new facilities, co-processing and alternatives on lifecycle cost per litre, specifications, emissions and distribution.
Component 3
Assess supply arrangements, contractual and trade constraints, competition, emergency allocation, strategic storage, shipping and regional logistics. Preserve transparent price formation and assess producer investment impacts.
Component 4
Compare additional Australian output with sustainable biofuels, synthetic fuels, electrification, demand reduction and reserves. Model current-policy, expanded-domestic and maximum-practical-independence scenarios.
Accounting boundary · Import displacement is not automatically an Australian fiscal saving. Net benefit depends on domestic production versus import-parity costs, capital costs, crude quality, refinery yield, exchange rates and the value of exports foregone.
A · Current import-heavy trajectory
Assess the cost, reliability and import dependence of the current-policy supply pathway.
B · Targeted domestic development
Test selected Australian oil production and refinery upgrades against full costs and commercial feasibility.
C · Maximum practical independence
Combine petroleum, biofuels, synthetic fuels, electrification and strategic reserves. Compare discounted 10-, 20- and 30-year net costs rather than gross litres displaced alone.
No pathway has yet been costed. Results will be published only after independent appraisal.
Years 1–2
Map fields and resource categories. Validate crude, condensate, refinery and demand baselines. Publish independent cost and legal assessments.
Years 3–5
Complete field-by-field and refinery feasibility studies. Run transparent competitive project selection and pilot domestic and alternative-fuel supply arrangements.
Years 6–10
Develop approved, commercially justified production, refining, storage and distribution projects. Measure realised import displacement and retail price effects.
Years 11–20
Expand proven projects, alternative fuels and electrification. Review environmental, regional and employment outcomes.
Years 21–30
Review practical independence targets, lifecycle costs and resilience as demand and technology change.
Hypothetical 50 billion litres a year multiplied by a retail price reduction.
| Price reduction | Annual purchaser change | Relative size |
|---|---|---|
| 5c/L | $2.5bn | |
| 10c/L | $5.0bn | |
| 20c/L | $10.0bn | |
| 30c/L | $15.0bn |
A hypothetical 50 billion litres multiplied by a retail price reduction is a purchaser-expenditure sensitivity, not a forecast, fiscal saving or net economic gain. Domestic production and refining can cost more than imports; price reductions and pass-through are not assured.
Separately, $4.12/GJ across a hypothetical 500 PJ equals $2.06bn in annual gas purchasing expenditure. This is another sensitivity, not an independently verified outcome.
Report capital and operating costs, government support, feedstock suitability, production rates, foregone exports, trade impacts, import displacement, actual retail price pass-through, emissions, storage and logistics, and 10/20/30-year net present values with discount-rate sensitivities. Do not add consumer transfers or import reductions to the government-efficiency scenario.
Independent resource verification, open procurement, environmental and First Nations consultation, worker safety, regional access, competition review, transparent export-contract treatment and annual reporting of actual costs, pump-price outcomes and verified net economic impacts.
03 · proposed, not commenced
Years 1–2
Inventory relevant laws, regulators, service locations, staff, contracts, information assets and expenditures; identify overlaps with adjacent systems; consult affected workers, communities and users.
Years 3–5
Develop system-specific national standards, safeguards and secure interoperability; pilot the proposed national fuel management model in representative metropolitan, regional and remote settings; publish evaluation results.
Years 6–10
Transfer functions only after required approvals, establish regional delivery capability, migrate records and credentials, train personnel, operate parallel systems where necessary and verify uninterrupted service.
Years 11–30
Expand capacity, retire duplicative administration only where demonstrated, modernise platforms, reinvest verified efficiencies and review outcomes at five-year intervals.
04
Cost drivers · Aggregated purchasing, planning, logistics.
No savings estimate yet
Annual mature gross savings and 10-, 20- and 30-year cumulative amounts remain unquantified. Before estimating, define the addressable expenditure baseline, transition cost, ongoing operating cost, service benefits and potential overlap with other systems.
05
Monitor service disruption, privacy, workforce impacts, unequal regional access and unintended consequences.
Democratic authority
Legally assess and obtain constitutional, referendum and any applicable state-consent approvals before institutional abolition or irreversible transfers.
National standards, regional delivery
Set consistent rights and technical standards nationally, with regional decision-making, accessible service offices and local frontline delivery.
Independent institutions
Protect courts, electoral bodies, integrity agencies, regulators and police oversight from partisan direction.
Uninterrupted public services
Protect emergency services, benefits, licensing, schools and healthcare throughout migration. Dual-running is a cost to plan for, not a reason to put continuity at risk.
Financial integrity
Report cashable savings, noncash efficiencies, transition spending, new operating costs and service outcomes separately. No government-wide net savings claim is established.
Participation and equity
Protect accessibility, remote communities, First Nations interests, worker rights, privacy, independent complaints and review.
06
Publish baseline and annual data on access, processing time, safety/quality, regional equity, complaints, gross efficiency, transition spending and verified net financial impact for national fuel management. Baselines come first; targets will only be set once independent baselines exist.
Access
Who can reach the service, where, and how quickly — including remote and assisted access.
Baseline: to be established
Processing time
Elapsed time from application, referral or call to decision or service.
Baseline: to be established
Safety and quality
Incidents, clinical or technical quality indicators and independent inspection findings.
Baseline: to be established
Regional equity
Differences in access and outcomes between metropolitan, regional and remote communities.
Baseline: to be established
Complaints
Volume, resolution time and independent review outcomes.
Baseline: to be established
Gross efficiency
Administrative cost changes before transition and new operating costs are subtracted.
Baseline: to be established
Transition spending
Every year of parallel running, migration, workforce, legal and technology expenditure.
Baseline: to be established
Verified net financial impact
Audited cashable savings minus recurring and transition costs.
Baseline: to be established
Living policy status
This page is part of a living policy library. Strategy papers, consultation responses, independent costings and delivery evidence will be added here as they are prepared. Nothing on this page reports completed delivery: the Party does not currently hold government, and every phase below is proposed.