Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I was really hopeful that maybe I would hear some facts or some perspective from the member for Gippsland in this MPI rather than personal pot shots or partisan political points, but maybe I was being too hopeful. I'm going to try to address some of the facts in relation to this MPI that they've raised. It is a fact that Australians are following the events in the Middle East, and they're seeing and feeling the consequences of this. Australians have been feeling the pressure at the pump over the last few weeks, and that's going to continue because, the longer this conflict in the Middle East goes on, the more significant the impact will be on the global economy and on the Australian economy. This is being felt around the world. That's just a fact.

The fact is that 20 per cent of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. That's significant. That's a fact, and it has an ongoing impact on people's lives. However, I can say that it's a fact as well that Australia's oil imports have been fairly robust in this context—very robust, in fact.

I'll take the interjection because it's just a fact that, even though those on that side made a big song and dance about six out of 81 shipments of oil being cancelled in the past month—as was stated in question time by the minister, and I'll repeat it and point it out—all six of those have been replaced. In fact, as the minister informed the House today, in addition to replacing those six cancelled shipments, three cargo ships over and above the normal contracted deliveries for April and May are going to be added to the fuel supply.

It's a fact that we're dealing with an issue around demand. Why is that? For context, it takes about a month for oil to leave the Middle East and make its way through the Strait of Hormuz to Asian countries like Singapore that refine the crude into petrol. Then it's shipped to Australia, it gets trucked to your local petrol stations and it makes its way to the bowser and into your car. It takes more than a month for all of that to occur. Given this context only started four weeks ago, what we're dealing with, factually, is an increase in demand. The bulk of the issues we're dealing with have been caused by spikes in demand.

Demand for petrol has doubled due to—well, the best way I can describe it is this. My mum called me the other day, and she was upset. She said she went to the petrol station to fill up her car, and the bloke in front of her filled up his car and then filled up five jerry cans. She said, 'Why is he doing that?' I wanted to make a partisan point and say, 'Because some of those in our parliament are encouraging people to panic buy in this way. It's not necessary, mum. You just fill up with what you need.' Most Australians just need to fill up with what they need. It's not necessary, Mum. You just fill up with what you need. Most Australians just need to fill up with what they need. There is plenty of fuel supply. This is an issue around demand. It's an issue around getting the message across to the bloke at the petrol station who, selfishly, in front of a pensioner, is filling up five jerry cans and not thinking about the community around them. It's important that the messaging to Australians, the responsibility that you have as members of parliament, is not encouraging people to panic buy in your commentary like the Leader of the Opposition has in some of the statements he's made. It's actually to take the responsible position and say to Australians: 'This is what's happening; these are the facts. The fuel supply is intact; it's coming through. We've increased the number of cargo ships, and all you need to do is buy the fuel that you need for you and your family and not fill up jerry cans.'

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