Interview with Melissa Clarke, ABC AM

E&OE TRANSCRIPT 
RADIO INTERVIEW  
ABC AM 
FRIDAY, 17 APRIL 2026 
 
SUBJECTS: Viva Energy oil refinery fire, Fertiliser supply for Australia’s farmers and producers 
                         
MELISSA CLARKE, HOST: An additional 250,000 tonnes of fertiliser will be imported to Australia with the support of the Federal Government. Many farmers are facing limits on how much they can grow over winter with fertiliser supplies disrupted because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Julie Collins is the Federal Agriculture Minister, and joins us now. Minister, thanks for speaking with AM this morning.  
 
JULIE COLLINS, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY: Thanks very much for having me on.  
 
CLARKE: Minister, just before we get to the fertiliser deal, do you have any updates on the impact of the fire at the Viva refinery in Geelong and what that might mean for Australia's fuel supplies?  
 
COLLINS: My understanding is it has affected in terms of particular types of fuel, particularly petroleum, so petrol that people use to fill up their cars, but that Viva is confident that we can mitigate this with imports. That was certainly the latest that I heard this morning.  
 
CLARKE: On the additional fertiliser supply, can you tell me what difference this extra urea being purchased will make for Australia's agriculture sector?  
 
COLLINS: We certainly know how important fertiliser and urea is for certainty for farmers in terms of the initial planting season that they are undertaking now and in coming weeks, so we know that certainty of supply is really critical for them, which is why this additional 250,000 tonnes is so important, and this sends a strong message that Australia is working with our international partners to secure additional supply. This is additional supply coming from Indonesia, and I again want to thank the Indonesian Government for their cooperation, and of course Incitec Pivot and PT Pupuk in Indonesia for this arrangement. This will mean a great deal to Australian farmers and will give them some certainty in terms of going forward with the season.  
 
CLARKE: So, this was a commercial deal between those two companies. What role did the Federal Government play here?  
 
COLLINS: We've obviously been talking to our like minded partners and around the Southeast Asian countries, and you've seen that with the Prime Minister's visits talking to them and working with them about additional supplies, and certainly the Indonesian Government have been supporting us and supporting Incitec Pivot and PT Pupuk in terms of getting this deal negotiated to get this additional supply out of Indonesia into Australia. Indonesia is already a very trusted supplier and partner of Australia when it comes to fertiliser, but this is additional supply that we've been able to secure.  
 
CLARKE: But it didn't involve the Federal Government underwriting the purchase or any financial support, it was more a discussion facilitation?  
 
COLLINS: It was certainly a facilitation and a discussion about what is available and having those discussions like we are around Southeast Asia, we continue to have discussions with like minded countries and with the private sector in terms of any underwriting that may be necessary.  
 
CLARKE: How quickly will farmers be able to access this additional fertiliser, given many are making decisions right now about whether to sow or how much to sow for the next growing round?  
 
COLLINS: As I said, we do have enough fertiliser in Australia either on the water or in the country at the moment for the initial planting season, but this gives farmers certainty going into the future. We do expect this additional supply to come in some time in June, so that will provide farmers with some confidence that fertiliser is on its way.  
 
CLARKE: Are there distribution problems then, because many of the grower groups are saying they're not getting the supply and they're having to make calculations about whether or not it's worth them putting in a round of seasonal produce, particularly some of the winter greens and the like.  
 
COLLINS: Certainly, the distribution of fertiliser is very complex and quite different to fuel, and it is commercial and obviously some companies hold their own fertiliser stocks. They do private deals in terms of their fertiliser needs throughout the year, but this is us working with the industry and securing additional supplies for Australia. This will give some farmers confidence that there will be fertiliser in coming months.  
 
CLARKE: Do you think it's move of a confidence issue than any actual problem with accessing supply?  
 
COLLINS: Well, certainly we know at the moment, as I said, that there is enough either here in Australia or on its way on the water already to be able to deal with this initial planting season, so this is about providing certainty and confidence to our farmers that further supply is on its way.  
 
CLARKE: What about in the longer term, what plans is there for the Government to ensure that we're not so reliant on supplies out of the Middle East for urea and our products?  
 
COLLINS: Obviously, there is the investment coming from the National Australia Infrastructure Facility into the Perdaman plant in Western Australia, we're talking around a $220 million loan facility there, and they will produce urea, so it will be able to be purchased here in Australia from the middle of next year. But obviously, you know, our trading relationships and our relationships with, particularly some of our South East neighbours, has been really critical in terms of this supply. As I said, Indonesia is already a trusted supplier of fertiliser to Australia, and this is additional supply that we've been able to secure.  
 
CLARKE: Julie Collins, thanks very much for speaking to AM this morning.  
 
COLLINS: Thanks very much.