Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Hansard source

Onto something important: the fuel situation is getting worse by the day in my electorate, affecting businesses, farmers and families. Inionba Pastoral in Kyvalley milks 1,500 cows and crops 5,000 hectares to feed cattle. They can't get a delivery of fuel or urea. Another family dairy farm needs fuel to deliver feed to their herd, but a 20,000 litre order never arrived. A major transport operator says fuel deliveries in regional depots are now being rationed, with some receiving only half their usual weekly supply. Terminal gate diesel prices have jumped 30 per cent in six days. A quarry operator using 30,000 litres of diesel a week has been told deliveries are no longer guaranteed. Independent contractors say on-site deliveries to farms are now severely limited.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy says there is enough fuel in Australia overall, and I take him at his word. I agree that people shouldn't be panic buying—they don't need to—but the minister must also accept the urgency of the regional supply issues being reported in my electorate and across regional Australia. The government must act to get fuel where it's needed to keep farms and regional businesses running. Mandy from Inionba Pastoral said, 'Sam, can you tell the minister that, if he wants milk in his latte, he better get this sorted out quick.'

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