SARAH FERGUSON: Today, the Federal Government released 500 million litres of fuel that's being directed to regional Australia. The Resources Minister is Madeleine King. Madeleine King, welcome to the program.

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Good evening, Sarah.

SARAH FERGUSON: How quickly will the new fuel task force ensure that diesel and petrol reaches the people who most need it?

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: The new task force will set about its work immediately, as one would expect. It is really important to make sure the fuel that Minister Bowen has ensured is released into the system gets to where it needs to go to, and there is a priority that that fuel does go to regional areas in the places where it is needed, where we have seen some of those instances of a bit of a too much demand leading to difficulties getting fuel. But what I would want to reassure all your viewers tonight is that Australia is well supplied with fuel. The government is working every single day to make sure that we use the stockholding obligation and the stored fuel that we have wisely and prudently to make sure it gets where it needs to go to. And Australians should fill up their car as they normally do, not stockpile, but just, you know, keep going as they have done. And we will be working every single day to make sure that will remain the case.

SARAH FERGUSON: Let me give you a practical example, if I may. There are 80 service stations in New South Wales, we understand, that have run out of diesel. What will the task force actually do to make sure those stations get fuel?

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Well, the task force will work with the states and territories, including New South Wales, of course, to make sure that the fuel gets to where it needs to go.

SARAH FERGUSON: Indeed, that's the principle. What are the steps? What are the actual practical measures that are going to be taken to move that fuel quickly?

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Well, I would imagine it will be getting it on trucks and getting it to those petrol stations as soon as possible. They have to come out of the storage tanks, as you can imagine. There has to be arrangements, and we are doing work that would ordinarily take weeks, is being done in days, to make sure it does get to those petrol stations.

SARAH FERGUSON: Have you actually secured guarantees from countries, Japan, Korea, others in the region, that they will continue to supply Australia?

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Over the weekend, I was in Tokyo, and I met with a number of my ministerial counterparts, and we discussed the conflict as a whole, but also the disruption it is causing to supply chains. I reminded them, as everyone would expect, that Australia has remained and will remain a reliable supplier of energy security to the region, and that the import of their liquid fuel to Australia is equally important. I can reassure Australians tonight that our trading partners are very, very well aware of how we all have to work together through what is a difficult time for the region, given that before the fuel is even refined, it has to come in its crude oil form out of parts of the Middle East to even get to those refineries. So, we all have a part to play, and Australia will continue to play its part in ensuring our neighbours in Japan, in Singapore, in the Republic of Korea and Malaysia, and others get the energy security they need from us.

SARAH FERGUSON: You make the point there. We are at the end of the global fuel supply chain. So, what do you do if those countries reach a point where they don't have enough fuel for their own populations? What measures do you have? What levers can you pull, apart from persuasion, to get them to make sure those cargoes are loaded and head to Australia?

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Well, right now, at the moment we are in, where we are still very well supplied with fuel and all the ships we expect to arrive with fuel are indeed on their way or arriving. Working together in a cooperative manner is the best path forward. Working together is what secures Australia the refined fuel we need and equally secures our neighbours the energy security they need. So, this is what we'll work on right now and into the future, because this government, and indeed I personally believe that is the most productive way of ensuring we have a secure fuel supply. But I would also add we do have two remaining refineries, and Minister Bowen, and the government has made sure that less of that fuel gets exported, but instead goes into the domestic supply, so that there's more fuel available every single day to Australian consumers.

SARAH FERGUSON: And one of the crucial issues right now is fertiliser for the farming community. What are you able to do to ensure that sufficient supplies of fertiliser reach farmers, particularly in remote and, well, in the remote parts of Australia?

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Yes, Minister Collins, the Minister for Agriculture, has held a roundtable with the National Farmers Federation, and we understand the concerns. My understanding is that Australia is well stocked with enough fertiliser. We do need to make sure it gets to the places it needs to, and Minister Collins will be working every moment of her days to make sure that happens and is in touch with her state counterparts to make sure that happens.

Further into the future, we are working as a government to ensure our future fertiliser supplies. Indeed, this government has invested $500 million, over $500 million into the Perdaman and Urea project in Karratha, Western Australia, which will produce urea, which is the nitrogen in your NPK fertiliser. That production starts next March, and that will be a crucial part of us having fertiliser independence, if you like, and is a crucial part of this government's Future Made in Australia agenda.

SARAH FERGUSON: Madeleine King, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Thank you. It's a pleasure. Thanks, Sarah.