A new oil refinery proposed for Western Australia will not solve the nation’s fuel security issues if it relies on imports for feed stock.

One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson said Labor’s announcement of a $4 million feasibility study into a new oil refinery in WA raised a lot of questions about the government’s real intentions.

“Labor continues to fail Australians on fuel security and self-sufficiency,” Senator Hanson said. “We still only have 42 days’ worth of petrol and 38 days’ worth of diesel in reserve. Australia remains at the end of fragile liquid fuel supply chains, and heavily dependent on imports.

“While it’s past time for new refineries and storage to improve fuel security, what Australia really needs to do is ramp up oil production so we can reduce reliance on imports from the Middle East.

“We also have to question why Labor is proposing this new refinery be built and operated by a fertiliser company that’s never operated a liquid fuel refinery before. Why not select an experienced Australian oil producer?

“We’re not even being told what sort of refinery is being proposed or where it could be built. Is it going to refine condensate from the north-west shelf into diesel for use in the mining and agricultural sectors of WA? If so, we’ll need to increase domestic production of heavy crude.

“Is it going to be co-located with the proposed company’s site at Karratha? What good does that do for motorists in Sydney?

“For a project of this magnitude, we need to ask if $4 million is enough to look at all the issues. I’m reliably informed by industry experts it’s nowhere near enough, and that raises an important question about the timing of this announcement given there’s a by-election in WA. I’m not sure if Labor is really serious about this or just playing its usual political games by deceiving voters.”

Senator Hanson said that while new refinery capacity was a step in the right direction, much more would need to be done to improve Australia’s fuel security.

“We need more storage onshore and we need more production,” she said. “Australia has around 17 billion barrels to develop, and possibly a great deal more than that. Any feasibility study into a new oil refinery must factor in the immense strategic value of reducing Australia’s dependence on fuel imports.”