Australia Weighs First Refinery in 60 Years as Middle East War Strains Fuel Supply The specter of war in the Middle East has long been a threat to global energy supplies and economies.
However, it's taken a catastrophic confluence of events to prompt Australia into considering a fundamental shift in its reliance on imported oil: the construction of a new refinery for the first time in over six decades.
Australia's current predicament, with only two operating refineries nationwide, makes it acutely vulnerable to supply disruptions.