Australia's Oil Security Amid Indo-Pacific Geopolitical Uncertainty
Abstract
Australias heavy reliance on oil imported from the Middle East and Asia via high-risk oceanic shipping routes undermines its oil security, particularly given the increasing tension between its ally the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific region. This thesis examines the Australian governments energy policies and ongoing oil development programs to answer the following questions: how does Australia try to ensure its oil security? And, in what ways will Australias strategic partnerships help its efforts to improve its energy security? This thesis finds that the Australian government is increasingly involved in oil security: it has tried to strengthen its oil security by reducing its reliance on imported fuel sources. Nevertheless, this thesis concludes that despite Australias current efforts, it is still at high risk of losing most of its imported oil supply in the event of direct conflict in the Indo-Pacific. This thesis further argues that Australias current international cooperation and strategic partnerships in the energy sector do not directly contribute to strengthening Australias oil security. Therefore, while continuing to increase domestic oil reserves and production and also decrease its oil consumption, Australia most importantly needs to diversify its oil supply regions, especially to areas where oil supply lines are not threatened by direct conflict between the United States and China.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1126909
Entities
People
- Abdul Gofur
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School