00:01The federal government's diplomatic efforts to secure more fuel amid the global crisis
00:06continue today as Foreign Minister Penny Wong jets off to Japan, then China and then South
00:12Korea. Our political reporter Sarah Tomevska joins us from Parliament House in Canberra.
00:16Sarah, good morning. What is Penny Wong trying to achieve on this trip?
00:20Yeah, James, good morning. This trip really is all about seeking assurances from Australia's
00:26regional partners that we will be prioritised in the global search for fuel security. In
00:35exchange, Penny Wong is likely to give assurances that Australia will continue to be a reliable
00:41exporter of coal and gas. Now, Japan, South Korea and China are all major suppliers of jet fuel,
00:49diesel and petrol to different proportions. And this trip, like we've seen in the past,
00:56past, you know, the Prime Minister was in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei seeking assurances similar
01:02to these. There will be discussions, probably in principle agreements to continue to supply
01:10each other with these resources amid the global uncertainty. So the government's immediate focus,
01:19James, really is on securing supply for the short term. We have heard that an extra 400 million
01:25litres of diesel is en route to Australia. Yesterday's fuel update, the government said there's 44 days of
01:34petrol in reserve, 33 days of diesel and 30 days of jet fuel in stockpile. So no doubt when the
01:43foreign
01:44minister sits down with her counterparts, particularly the Chinese foreign minister, there'll be discussions,
01:50discussions not only about the global crisis and fuel security, but other elements of the relationship as well.
01:57I'm going to go ahead and see if there's a number of people who are going to help us in
01:57the future. So,
01:58I'm going to go ahead and see if we have a couple of people who are going to help us
01:58in the future. So,
01:59You
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