A fast-moving fire at the Viva oil refinery in Corio, Geelong, pushed authorities to tell nearby residents to shelter inside to avoid smoke.
Fire crews were still battling the blaze after it broke out late last night, with Geelong’s mayor Stretch Kontelj saying the incident was “unprecedented”. He told Misryoum newsroom reporting he had spoken with management and that “no one can recall an incident of this magnitude either,” before noting that reports suggested it was coming under control. The refinery itself said no one had been reported injured so far, and there was no immediate impact on fuel supplies.
Residents in areas south of the refinery were warned to stay inside—quiet advice, but the kind that makes you notice the world a little differently. In Corio, the air can change fast, and you could almost imagine the sharp, chemical smell that often comes with refinery incidents, the kind that sits behind the throat even if you’re indoors and trying not to think about it.
The stakes are not small. Viva Energy’s refinery in Geelong supplies about 50% of Victoria’s fuel, and 10% of Australia’s in total, according to the company’s website. The company says the facility is one of only two remaining refineries in Australia, employing more than 1,100 people. The other is Ampol’s Lytton refinery in Brisbane, and both rely on government support to stay open—an arrangement that keeps showing up in debates whenever something goes wrong at the wrong time.
Viva Energy also describes what the Geelong site can produce: the refinery can process up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day, manufacturing petrol, diesel, LPG, jet fuel, avgas and Low Aromatic Fuel to support the Federal Government’s petrol-sniffing prevention program. It says it is Australia’s only manufacturer of hydrocarbon solvents, marine fuel oil, low aromatic fuel, avgas, bitumen and high-quality plastic feedstock used to create food packaging, medical equipment and polymer banknotes.
Away from the fire, politics was moving in a different direction. Nationals leader Matt Canavan defended the Coalition’s planned immigration shake-up as “fair and reasonable” and said migrants would understand the policy. In remarks discussed by Misryoum newsroom reporting, Canavan pointed to the “rigour” of his Italian grandparents’ naturalisation process in the 1950s, and to his own publicised section 44 high court citizenship saga—ending with his line that it ultimately proved him to be a “dinky-di Aussie”. He also argued, according to Misryoum reporting, that “support for Australia’s migration program is falling off a cliff.”
When asked about wording described as “discriminatory”, Canavan said, “I think we should discriminate on values …” and continued that Australia should not discriminate on colour, religion, sexuality, gender, but should discriminate on people who don’t support democracy, who profess support for terrorism or violence, or who don’t believe in equality between male and female genders—adding he “doesn’t want them in our country.” He also reached for a literary quote—“Having good fences make for good
neighbours”—though one commentator noted the Robert Frost line had been delivered in irony, and that more questions would come later. Misryoum editorial desk noted the exchange, then kind of left it hanging there, because that’s how these debates often work: the policy gets defended, the rhetorical fences go up, and everyone waits to see what happens next—while, at the same time, smoke warnings are still being issued in Geelong.
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