Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we speak, the oil tanker Proteus Bohemia is steaming its way to Australia. It left the port of Jamnagar in India on 8 November. It's currently off the southern coast of Western Australia, due to arrive at Botany in five days time.

This ship is carrying 78,000 tonnes, or thereabouts, of petroleum products that are destined for Australian cars, and those products have come from Russia. The refinery at Jamnagar takes about 47 per cent of its crude oil from Russia, which means the Proteus Bohemia's products are about 47 per cent Russian crude oil. It means that once that ship arrives early next week and these petroleum products come ashore in Australia, they will be finding their way into Australian cars with Australians paying, in effect, to fund Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

Australia imposed sanctions on the direct importation of Russian oil, and rightly so, soon after the invasion of Ukraine. But since 2023, we have been importing a simply massive amount of Russian crude that is refined in third countries, predominantly India, Turkiye and, to a lesser degree, Singapore. We have effectively been evading, flouting or denying the main purpose of those sanctions, which is to stop hard currency going to fund Russia's war machine.

Since 2023, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, we've imported more than three million tonnes of Russian origin oil product. According to the same centre, that makes us the biggest importer of Russian crude products refined in third countries. Australia, not a large country, not a large petroleum consumer, is now the largest importer of Russian crude products refined in third countries.

According to these estimates, Australia has now contributed about $2 billion to the Russian government treasury through these importations. Over the same period, we have given about $1½ billion to support Ukraine's defence against this war of aggression. So here we are buying refined Russian oil products and contributing $2 billion to Russia's war effort. In the meantime, we have been consistently slipping down the league of contributors to Ukraine, so we are now in a situation where Australian taxpayers are effectively giving more to the Russian side in this war than the Ukrainian side.

Our allies have got the message. The US has imposed comprehensive sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, two of Russia's major oil producers, in recent weeks and Europe will ban the importation of petroleum products from third countries that are produced using Russian crude from 21 January 2026. Australia needs to be doing the same.

The war in Ukraine is now entering its fourth year—fifth year, in fact. It's in its fourth year; it will be entering its fifth year from early next year. This has become an attritional conflict. Russia has the bulk of the manpower. Ukraine is fighting valiantly in its own defence, but the predominance of Russian manpower, plus the Russian treasury, is what is allowing Russia to continue to wage this war.

About 25 per cent of Russian government revenue comes from oil and refined oil products, so it is instrumental—it is material—in funding Russia's war effort, and Australia should be playing no part in supporting that effort. Senator Wong, the Foreign minister, was in India last week, and I know she did discuss this issue. She said while she was there that the war in Ukraine is both 'illegal and immoral' and contrary to global interests and contrary to our national interest. I agree with that sentiment entirely, which is why Australia should be taking steps to make sure that Australian taxpayers, Australian consumers and Australian households are no longer supporting Russia's war effort.

I call on the Australian government to close this loophole. Stop Australia from unwittingly funding against Ukraine's war effort. I call on the Australian government to get in step with our allies, support Ukraine in its defence of its own people and its own home land and not contribute a further cent, a further dollar, to Russia's illegal and immoral war of aggression against Ukraine.