Trish Cook (Bullwinkel, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to address this matter of public importance. The opposition loves to use the phrase 'governing for all Australians' as a slogan, but for the Albanese Labor government it is our daily mission. You only have to look at the map of my electorate of Bullwinkel to see why. Minus the beaches, my electorate is a microcosm of this nation. We have the foothills. We have young, diverse families in High Wycombe looking for a fair go. In the hills we have an older generation in Mundaring relying on Medicare. Out in the Wheatbelt we have farmers in Northam, Toodyay, Beverley and York, who are the engine room of our economy. When we govern, we don't just pick and choose; we deliver for everyone.

The opposition's motion mentions a national fuel crisis. But let's be clear what this is: we are seeing a global spike in uncertainty causing excessive demand driven by the conflict in the Middle East. While the opposition continues to exacerbate that fear and uncertainty, this government is playing Team Australia. We have released 20 per cent of our fuel reserves to address regional shortages. We have appointed Anthea Harris as the Fuel Supply Taskforce Coordinator to work with the states to ensure that fuel gets to where it is needed, especially to our regional communities. We are also taking the fight to those seeking to profit from pain; the ACCC is currently investigating major fuel suppliers for anticompetitive conduct.

To our farmers, we understand and we get the uncertainty. But this isn't just about inflated prices at the pump; it's about the viability of their seeding season and the entire season to follow. I know the farmers in the Wheatbelt are looking at their diesel tanks, wondering if they'll have the fuel they need to start their seeding soon. On top of that, we have a cyclone which is bringing rain early, causing some complications. But our government is acting now to ensure they can get fuel.

We are also increasing supply specifically for the Great Southern, the Wheatbelt and the Geraldton and Esperance agricultural regions. We're supporting the seeding and prioritising independent distributors. We're ensuring extra volume above forecasts is supplied into the Goldfields, Busselton and Karratha. And we're not just monitoring the situation; we're redirecting fuel to where it is most needed. To the truckies in Bullwinkel: we have your back. We are amending the Fair Work Act to allow for emergency contract chain orders, ensuring that you aren't forced to shoulder the burden of the global price spikes alone.

It is a bit rich for the coalition to lecture us on fuel security. When they were in power, they oversaw the closure of four fuel refineries and put our strategic reserves of fuel in Texas, United States. Today, under Labor, we are holding over 1.64 billion litres of petrol and 2.8 billion litres of diesel on Australian soil, and we are undoing a decade of infrastructure neglect to ensure that governing for all means actually having the resources to protect everyone.

Governing for all means also looking at the household budget, where we know cost-of-living relief is desperately needed. In Bullwinkel, this means tax cuts for every single taxpayer in the electorate, which were opposed by those opposite. It means cheaper medicines. No Australian is paying more than $25 for a script, and that's $200 million back in the pockets of Australians. It means energy relief, a 30 per cent discount on home batteries to permanently slash power bills in the hills and the regions. And it means cutting student debt by an average of $5,500, giving our young professionals the breathing room they need to save for a home.

The opposition want to focus on broken promises, but the only thing broken is their record on national security and economic resilience. This government is focused on the here and now for everyone. Whether it is freezing draught beer excise for the local pub, boosting Medicare with $1.8 billion in hospital funding or ensuring our Wheatbelt farmers can get the diesel that they need for seeding, we're working hard to ensure supply. We're shielding our nation from global uncertainty and building a future where every Australian, regardless of where they come from, is supported.

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