“With global insecurity once again exposing Australia’s dependence on imported fuel, the lack of long-term policy memory and action by Canberra justifies a public ‘we told you so’. No recent Australian government can say it was not warned.”
“In Australia’s immediate history are the disastrous supply chain disruptions of Covid and the war in Ukraine, both of which sparked a reminder of the follies of complacency. Now in 2026, Australia finds itself with the same perverse sense of déjà vu.”
“Sadly, the current fuel security issue was entirely predictable and, in fact, comprehensively predicted.”
“Indeed, over the past decade, a diverse range of organisations – for example, the Australia Institute, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Engineers Australia, the Maritime Union of Australia, the Lowy Institute and NRMA – has forecast our current problem. Whether the topic is liquid fuel security, energy security more broadly, or the overarching issue of national security, Australia simply cannot say it was not warned.”
“Everything is fine, until it is not – the same policy approach with the same predictable outcomes. When it comes to national security, ‘market-based solutions’ do not age well, and this exposes a major tension between commercial interests and national security interests.”
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/australia-s-fuel-crisis-we-told-you-so