Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Hansard source

Sadly, Australians should be very concerned today, because the person in charge of trying to make sure that fuel is distributed across this country has one of the worst ministerial track records this country has ever seen. You have only to go back to his period of time as immigration minister, when we saw more deaths at sea and more people arrive on this shore than nearly any other Labor minister has ever achieved. Go back to his time when he was assistant Treasurer, when he was actually encouraging bigger deficits and higher taxes. Go back to his record when it comes to grocery watch and fuel watch. Remember that? Remember fuel watch? He doesn't seem to be using it now. I wonder why. Then, of course, there was the promise of $275 off your power bill. How did that go? I think we're all still waiting. I think all the Australian people are waiting.

But it gets better. In the House today he said that his door is open and if you've got a problem, if anyone in industry has got an issue then you just give him a call and he'll make sure that he'll talk to you, he'll deal with the issue and there's no problem. So one of our MPs, who will remain nameless—he can out himself, but I was happy to keep it quiet. I'm happy for him to out himself. He actually has requested to go and see the minister about one of his constituents on the Mooloolaba wharf that has no diesel. So we're not going to get tuna. We're not going to get tuna. Guess what the response was? 'The minister is unfortunately unable to meet with individual requests due to a high number of requests.' It reminds me of Corporal Jones of Dad's Armydon't panic, don't panic, don't panic! So you want us to legitimately put requests to you about people who are hurting in our electorates because of higher fuel prices and because they can't get fuel, and you won't even take those requests because of the high number that are coming in your door.

What this points me to is another big problem that this minister has.

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