Ali France (Dickson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 and the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026. Global conflict is disrupting fuel supply chains, and this government is acting. We've released a fifth of our fuel from our reserves, changed export rules to keep more fuel at home and are supporting Australian refineries to produce more domestically. Our new Fuel Supply Taskforce is working directly with states and territories to make sure fuel gets to where it's needed most.

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 cracks down on petrol price gouging, doubling penalties for companies that try to profit at the expense of Australian families. The Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026 changes the law so that the Fair Work Commission can demand companies pay truckies when fuel prices spike. There's simply no excuse for price gouging, and our consumer watchdog will hold offenders fully accountable. There's also no excuse, really—and that's why we're acting quickly—for leaving truckies in the lurch in an international crisis. Australians are doing it tough. The cost of living is real. The pressures on household budgets are real, too. When working families in my electorate are making choices between filling up the tank or putting food on the table, they deserve to know that their government has their back, and we're taking urgent action, making sure that the companies selling them fuel are playing by the rules and, if they're not, that there are actually real consequences.

That is exactly what this legislation delivers. The bill doubles the maximum penalties for false or misleading conduct and cartel behaviour to $100 million per offence. That's not a slap on the wrist; those are actual consequences. We've already increased penalties fivefold under this government to $50 million because we understood that weak penalties are no deterrent for big corporations turning over billions of dollars. Our bill goes further still because the Albanese government is serious about accountability. The Iran war has introduced genuine volatility into global oil markets. What happens in the Middle East affects what Australians pay at the bowser. That is a reality that we must acknowledge, and those opposite know this, despite what they are saying. We're putting fuel companies on notice today, and this government will not cop price gouging.

This legislation sits alongside a comprehensive package of action the Albanese Labor government is taking on fuel affordability and security. We've boosted fuel supply by releasing 20 per cent of the baseline minimum stockholding obligation for petrol and diesel and are specifically directing that to the regions. We've temporarily amended fuel standards to get more fuel into the market, petrol and diesel. This has allowed an extra 100 million litres of fuel that was destined for export into the Aussie market.

We're working with the ACCC to get fuel to where it's needed, and we are ensuring that truckies get fairly compensated for fuel increases. We're strengthening our international partnerships to protect our supply chains for the long term. We've also given the ACCC more tools to do its job, including extending petrol price monitoring powers.

We're in a good position to deal with this international crisis, and I dread to think where we would be right now if those opposite were in charge. Your record on fuel security is absolutely appalling. You had fuel reserves in Texas, in the United States, not Australia—fuel reserves overseas. Could you imagine trying to get them here in this crisis? You also shut down four of six fuel refineries, making storage so much more difficult. I call on those opposite to support this bill. If you genuinely believe in a fair go, if you genuinely stand with Australian consumers and Australian truckers, then you will support these bills. We are taking real action. Unlike those opposite, who are just playing games, we're actually delivering.

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