I agree with Forest Gump, the situation is serious and we are being let
down badly by our politicians.
The 2010 report of the International Energy Authority has this year for
the first time used the words "Peak Oil" in its report.
A graph shows crude oil starting to decline in 2006.
The graph also shows natural gas liquids making up the difference plus
the output of yet to be developed oil fields and, get this, yet to be
discovered oil fields !

While the optimists at the IEA have surrended, they are still wanting
to count what has not yet been found.

The government should be at present designing a rationing scheme,
writing the programs to administer it, and preparing the cards for
the Australian government Access card. This card could be used for
Medicare, petrol and diesel rationing, medical records and a multitude
of other functions.
As in Iran the pumps will need to be fitted with card readers to
control supply. To avoid hacking the reader will need to communicate
with the government computer for a decision to supply.
All this is a big system design and programming job and will take
quite some time to do.
Isn't this what we pay politicians to do ?

The government should have legislation prepared to administer the
rationing including taking over the control of import fuel buying.
We cannot trust the overseas owned oil companies to have our interest
front and foremost when bidding for fuel in the international market.
It would be too easy for the oil companies HQs to tell the locals to
put in a lower bid than the HQs. It will be dog eat dog when it hits
the fan.

*The government should be at present designing a rationing scheme,
writing the programs to administer it, and preparing the cards for
the Australian government Access card*

No need Bazz. When the price goes up 100%, people will stop
wasting fuel as they do now and demand will drop substantially.

Problem solved.

ucg-gtl is a stupid solution, and is unlikely to be adopted. Burning coal seams underground leaves a contaminated waste in geologically unstable subterranean hollows. This has the potential to poison groundwater supplies.

Quite a few years ago on what I vaguely remember was the Peak oil Sydney forum but could have been elsewhere, there was a report about a presentation put on at the request of a group of back bench Senators in Canberra on the subject of peak oil.
It was apparently a well-done lecture with a power point display and had been put on at various venues around the country.
At the end of the “show” the speaker asked for any questions.
Instead of a question, one of the senators said, “This is terrible, why has the government not done something about this?”
It was gently pointed out to him, that he was part of the Government.
Unfortunately I have not been able to find this report, it having been lost in non backed up computer crash.
It does however expose the caliber of our political leaders.

Yabby.
You are partly right, but price rationing is the solution for the
rich boys. Who would have the best need, a trady on the way to a job
in his ute with a load of tools or a $16 Million man who did not want
to mix it with the public on public transport ?
Hmmm or to put it into your situation, a farmer needing a part for his header ?

Bazz, it would be far too complex and open to corruption for
Govts to ever sort that out, but the market in fact will.

The 16 million $ man can buy his fuel anyhow, even if on the
black market, from the pensioner who does not need his allocation,
according to your method.

Farmers will simply grow canola and produce their own fuel.
Rather then export it, they can drive their machines with it.
That includes 4wds to pick up parts :)

The first thing that will happen, logistics will become a huge
business. Moving a roadtrain of 50-60 tonnes of freight, is
incredibly efficient, compared to couriers and small trucks etc.

If all freight was put on one truck, to say our town, fuel used
would drop 70%. At the moment you have couriers, bread trucks,
paper delivery, small loads, the list is endless.

How many people drive to the shops every day? Heaps. Americans
are even too lazy to make their own coffee, they drive to the
closest drive through coffee place. Imagine the fuel used for
all those trivial trips.

But I see another solution for Australia. People already have
gas piped to their houses, or many do. Cars can in fact be converted
to run on that gas, they could fill up at home. Just the govt won't
be happy, they will miss out on their tax.

So there will be a number of solutions, market driven. Gas in
various forms, electric cars, expensive petrol, diesel, ethanol.

There is no one holy grail, but a combination of solutions,
combined with a huge reduction in wastage. A high fuel price
will bring it all on.