Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to second the motion moved by the member for Calare. This proposal goes to the heart of what millions of Australians are feeling right now. Across Western Sydney, diesel and petrol are surging towards $3 a litre, and, as the member for Calare just mentioned, in Bathurst, it's at $3.20. Rocketing fuel prices are hitting families and small businesses first, and they are being hurt the most.

Yesterday I asked the Treasurer a very simple question: why won't this government halve the fuel excise at least for six months to help Australians through this crisis? I did not get an answer that would reassure any parent at the bowser this morning. I did not get an answer that would reassure any small business owner trying to keep their vans and trucks on the road. What I heard was a government that is prepared to sit on its hands while Australians are pummelled by prices they simply cannot escape.

Families and small business in Fowler in south-west Sydney and right across Western Sydney—and, of course, in regional areas—are being crushed by the cost-of-living crisis. They are not trimming luxuries or excess; they're actually being hit by non-negotiable bills. They have to fill their tank to drive to work. They have to pay their high energy bill costs. They have to pay for increased food. These are all the things that they have to do. In my electorate of Fowler, driving is not a luxury. It's not a lifestyle choice. It is a necessity. Public transport is terrible. We don't have proper public transport. Many workers start before dawn and finish late at night. They are frontline workers. They are aged-care workers, warehouse workers, truckies, cleaners, delivery drivers, tradies. They keep the country running and simply cannot work from home. They cannot drive less. Every time fuel jumps by 10c to 20c, it is a direct pay cut for them.

While this is happening, the Commonwealth government is doing very well, thank you. On every litre of petrol and diesel, more than 50c goes straight to Canberra, plus the GST as well. Last year alone, the government raked in around $27 million in fuel excise. Surely a six-month halving of the fuel excise—which cost the Morrison government approximately $5.6 billion when they did it in 2022—is not an impossible ask off the back of such a profit.

That is why I have been calling consistently for a temporary halving of the fuel excise. It is one of the simplest, fastest levers the Commonwealth can pull. It is deflationary while it is in place, because it brings down one of the key prices feeding into everything else. It does not require an application form. It does not require a means test. It does not carve Australians into winners and losers. It helps everyone who has to fill a tank—workers, families, small businesses, regional communities. This is not a boutique program for one sector; this is relief for the majority of working Australians.

With petrol and diesel rocketing towards $3 a litre—and, as we heard, $3.20 in Bathurst—the Albanese government refuses to budge. It is as if they think that the crisis at the bowser is somehow less real than the crisis at the supermarket checkout or in the mortgage statement. But talk to any family in Fowler—in Liverpool, Cabramatta, Fairfield or Canley Heights—and they will tell you fuel is the bill that makes every other bill worse. This is why the member for Calare's bill to amend the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 is so important. It is about ensuring that, in times of genuine crisis—and we are having a genuine crisis at the moment, with global conflicts, supply shocks and market failures sending prices spiralling—the Australian government can step in to take control of fuel prices and protect the public. We already accept that in a natural disaster or pandemic, government must act quickly in the national interest. A fuel price shock that is pushing families to the brink is no different.

Taking control in a crisis does not mean micromanaging every servo every day. It means having clear powers and clear triggers so that when prices are exploding, like they are now, when they're barrelling towards $3 a litre and beyond, governments can intervene to cap the damage, prevent gouging and back temporary tax relief like a fuel excise cut. It means recognising that fuel is not a luxury; it is the backbone of how our economy moves, how our people get to work and how our supply chains function. For this reason, I strongly support the member for Calare's motion to suspend the standing orders so that this bill to amend the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 can be debated and voted on today. Australians cannot wait. Families in Fowler and across Western Sydney cannot wait. The time for reviews and excuses is over; the time for real, immediate action is now. I second the motion.

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