Evelyn Rae: Could Fuel Rationing Hit Australia?

"The legislation, like much of the COVID-era framework, was passed decades ago — in 1984, no less. Orwell wrote the warning. Australia passed the law."

News of war in Iran can feel a world away, but its effects travel quickly. Almost overnight, tensions in the Middle East began to show up in places like Australia: today, at the bowser, and tomorrow in the cost of moving goods, running businesses, and keeping the country supplied.

Australia is a nation that depends heavily on imported fuel, and when global routes are blocked, that dependence becomes painfully obvious. Fuel prices rise, availability tightens, and what we once took for granted—filling up the tank—begins to feel increasingly uncertain, whether because of soaring costs or the growing risk of outright shortage.