It’s tragic and disturbing to see conflict anywhere in the world. We know many lives are lost or changed forever in war and hope that peace will be swiftly restored in the Middle East with minimal loss of life.

The current conflict is also a sobering reminder that in our globalized world, we are all touched by such conflicts. This week, we’ve had a glimpse of the immediate impact of shipping disruptions on Australia’s long and fragile fuel supply lines. Much of Australia’s fuel comes from the Middle East via Asian refineries.

Fuel price is the first sign, but in a sustained crisis, availability will become an issue – affecting our freight networks and our critical industries. Hopefully it won’t come to that during the current conflict.

In the longer term, we need solutions that help our country become more resilient. QER’s core purpose is to develop Queensland kerogen-based fuels as a safe, on-shore source of fuel to help secure Australia’s fuel future through a more diverse and robust supply chain.