Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I think I've outlined to the House that there are diesel shortages being faced in rural and regional Australia, in particular, in the face of massive spikes in demand. Now, that desire by people to get diesel is understandable, particularly when there's some misinformation out there about Australia's fuel supply, but it is very important that we all communicate that the biggest risk to fuel availability in Australia right now is panic buying. That is the biggest risk. That is why, when we see increases in demand for fuel in the Adelaide Hills and Barossa of 238 per cent, service stations and providers are going to find difficulty in meeting that demand—100 per cent. In Mildura, for example, of course that's the case. It's also the case—we need to be very honest with people—that stockpiling fuel on a property is not an undertaking without risk, and it's also very important that we send that message as well. Those opposite ask what we are doing about it. What we are doing about it is working with the industry. By 'industry', I mean industries across the board, with the refiners—the two that we have left in Australia, not the six that the previous government inherited. We had the member for Hume denying that foreclosed while he was the energy minister, but the facts speak for themselves.

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