Eels Blogs

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    Prof. Daz > Mallee57 March 20, 2026 at 1:32pm

    Mallee, if you don't understand why Australia does not refine its own fuel, can I add details to kick that understanding along?

    What refineries closer this century? Port Stanvac, 2003 (Howard), Kurnell & Bulwer Island, 2014 (Abbott), Kwiwana & Altona, 2021 (Morrison). All closed by commercial operators claiming lack of commercial viability. The main argument was that Asian refineries can process between 4-10 times the barrels per day of Australian refineries. In the mid-1980's imported fuel was 25% consumption, and today it is 90% consumption. That trend started with the Coalition early 90's and later all refineries allowed to close were closed under Coalition governments. 

    Anyone reading those facts should be highly sceptival of current Coalition claims that Labor's renewables push is undermining fuel security. It is absolute historical rubbish. The culprit lies squarely with a Coalition policy setting permissive of reliance on fuel imports.

    Also, is Australian crude oil crappy and not worth refining? Absolute opposite. It is mostly light and sweet: less dense and less sulfur (vs heavy sour). It is premium crude. We just export almost all of it. Like our natural gas. We have allowed mostly foreign owned multinationals who pay little proportionate tax to extract and sell our fuel and undercut domestic fuel reliability.   

    What would be interesting is if every time some clown blasts Australian universities for being "reliant on foreign export trade income", or overseas students, they applied the same logic to our oil and gas export industry, which is utterly reliant on exports to a much higher degree. 
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      Mallee57 > Prof. Daz March 20, 2026 at 2:07pm

      Thanks for that Information. It's crazy that Australia has such high quality crude oil that could/should be refined here n Australia which would solve our own petrol shortage and create more jobs for Australians. I just don't understand the way these decisions are made by people in places of authority that could make choices that will benefit Australians. Just doesn't make sense 
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      Blue Eel > Prof. Daz March 20, 2026 at 3:03pm

      

      Daz, Love ya passion for the Eels and your a great bloke, but I have to ask why the need to turn so many things political. I trust your points of view are held very tight to yourself which is great. Whether I agree or disagree, i attempt to remain neutral and bring stuff back to footy. I have to ask though in the interests of fairness and not in any way to debate political views or leanings why you left out that it was actually Julia Gillards "Labor Govt" that announced the closure of Kurnell in July 2012. 

       

      The decision to close the Caltex Kurnell oil refinery was announced on

      July 26, 2012, during the Federal Labor Government led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. 

      SMH.com.au +1

       

      Now i don't care who did what or when, but let's be straight up, because if none of us are straight up then when we get called out it only diminishes our argument. Surely the way forward is no matter whom is in govt, that we demand things be rectified, repaired , reopened, re investment etc that makes Australia more self reliant and creates more Australian Jobs for those that want them. We are Australian, major investment and large  resource infrastructure iwould suggest should transcend politics and an Australian wealth fund or the like established that can plan things that require decades of planing and construction, not living within the 3 year voting cycle for political parties, where no one party can achieve great big things. 

      'The idea of blaming which ever side of politics in the past does not serve to fix things moving forward. A true leader will lead, they will understand the history and then set about not repeating the mistakes, they will do what's best for those they lead, not self preservation.Its what a country needs in a democracy, but it's rare to find that leader on any side of politics. Getting things done for the good of all should not be war of words against left and right. 
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        Prof. Daz > Blue Eel March 20, 2026 at 5:12pm

        

        Hi Blue Eel, my first question is whether you think I had not anticipated someone might ask about Kurnell? Did I leave Kurnell off deliberately? Hell yes. 

        Now if more folks were inspired to pay attention to history like you have done I would not need the cheap trick of a deliberate omission. 

        My point in that post was to draw attention to a bullshit piece of politics that is floating about right now, which claims the fuel shortage is a consequence of a left government pursuing renewables. This is what the Coalition are doing via backgrounding journalists (who have departed from their noble profession of holding powered to account and now grovel at the feet of the big end of town). To even try to get across to people how they are being misinformed by that narrative, I felt I had to show how historically crazy a thesis it is given the Coalition have been in power through almost aloud refinery closures.

        Sometimes, the facts have no chance to be heard unless you undermine the misinformation first.

        So, on to your correct point. Yes, Caltex closed Kurnell in 2012 and Rudd/Gillard were in power 2007-2013. 

        So, now that Kurnell comes up, I don't have to be tricky. If f anyone is interested they can read the absolute lunacy of the NSW parliamentary inquiry report into closing Kurnell. The short story is that both sides of parliament bought into the idea that because foreign supply chains in Asia were secure, fuel supply was secure. 

        https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/submissions/52094/0004%20C...

        How wrong that had turned out to be. 

        Also an FYI: in 2012 Joe Hockey blamed the Carbon price for Kurnell closing. So we had a version back then of rhe current TOTAL lie that it's renewables policy harming fuel supply reliability. 

        And that is why I "was political" about it. Because the right wing are literally engaged in misinformation. Which obscure the real challenge. We are exporting oil and gas and not taxing the exports adequately and then the main culprit for those poor minerals and tax policies are deliberately misinforming citizens about what is going on. 

        So I hope you can forgive me for being a "bit political" under the circumstances. 

        PS: first solution is Australia should be electrifying most of its transport. That's a no-brainer. Second is to beef up the PRRT. Third is to enact stringent fuel reserve policies. Fourth is push for scope three emissions costings because it's not only environmentally just but would also show what's happening with the export-import trade. Fifth is to tell both sides of parliament to stop lying to citizens and admit the stupid privatization plan was a bust. 
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          Poppa > Prof. Daz March 20, 2026 at 5:38pm

          

          That was some admission Daz, I am amazed this has gotten through. 

          Full marks to Bluey for putting the context so simply and correctly, no marks for you for not letting the facts spoil "your story" 

          This blog should be closed now because it belies everything that has been set on the moderation debate!

          I will not comment further!