About AussieOilWatch

What this site does

AussieOilWatch is an independent, public-interest dashboard that tracks Australia’s onshore fuel reserves and station-level pricing in near-real time. It aggregates official government data from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and state fuel-check APIs across NSW/ACT, QLD, SA, WA, NT, and TAS, then presents it in a single, unified interface.

The core dashboard shows three things: how many days of petrol, diesel, and jet fuel Australia holds onshore (sourced from DCCEEW weekly MSO reports), a live heatmap and comparison tool showing station-level fuel prices across the country, and shipping vessel tracking for inbound fuel tankers via AIS data.

Why it exists

Australia imports over 90% of its refined fuel, yet the official data on how much fuel the country actually has onshore is published with a lag, buried in government Power BI reports, and scattered across multiple state-level portals. There is no single place where an ordinary Australian can quickly see the national fuel picture.

AussieOilWatch was created to fill that gap. The goal is transparency: making publicly available government data accessible and understandable so that drivers, researchers, journalists, and policymakers can make informed decisions without needing to cross-reference half a dozen separate government websites.

Fuel security is a matter of national importance. The closure of several domestic refineries over the past decade — leaving just two operating in Australia — has increased the country’s dependence on imported fuel. Small changes in stock levels can signal emerging supply chain stress, and public visibility of this data helps keep both government and industry accountable.

Who publishes it

AussieOilWatch is an Australian-owned project built and maintained by Rath Engineering Development (ABN 35 687 696 911), based in Australia. We focus on data-driven tools that make complex public information understandable—fuel reserves, station pricing, and supply-chain context—for everyday Australians, researchers, and media.

The project is led by Jaymes Rath, a software engineer with a background in data engineering and full-stack development. Content on this site—including guides, the FAQ, and original fuel security briefings—is written for AussieOilWatch to explain official data and policy context in plain language.

Independence

We are not affiliated with any fuel retailer, fuel importer, refiner, or Australian Government agency. We do not accept sponsorship from companies whose pricing or inventory figures appear on the dashboard. Funding comes from minimal display advertising and independent consulting practice revenue—not from energy-sector advertisers directing editorial coverage.

Government figures are reproduced from published APIs and reports for transparency only. Interpretation and commentary are ours; they do not imply endorsement by DCCEEW or any state government.

Data sources

For full technical details on data pipelines, refresh schedules, and display methodology, see the methodology page.

Open data and enquiries

Government and official station data are used under open-data principles for non-commercial public-interest transparency. The site may display Google AdSense ads when enabled; advertising does not influence how reserves or prices are calculated or ranked.

Questions, corrections, or feedback: see contact. Common topics are covered in the FAQ.

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