Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a matter of urgency in this country that we are debating these bills. This is urgent, very urgent. Australians are suffering like never before. A fuel crisis is hitting families, small businesses and entire communities across this country.

The whole time I am down here, I am getting phone calls and text messages and emails from trucking companies, farmers and fishers telling me that, if they can get fuel, diesel is now north of $3.15 a litre. My fishermen are telling me that there is now no point in going to sea, because, if they can actually afford to put the fuel in their tanks, whatever they catch will be so expensive that the punters won't pay for it. So my fishermen are tying up their boats. They're going to have to put staff off, because, if you're not catching fish, you can't process the fish and you can't sell the fish.

This is very real. This is the thing that the other side just does not get. I sat here during the MPI yesterday and listened to the member for Wills talk about how horrible it was that a person was filling up a jerry can. That's the thing with the other side; they have no concept of reality. How many businesses out there require fuel to be placed in jerry cans so they are able to use it in their compactors, petrol-driven concrete mixers or generators. This mob over here have got no idea. Why? It's because they've never run a business before. It's been school, uni, union, parliament. They've never run a business. They've never had a trade. They have no concept of how the real world operates.

We have a situation where this country could very well be on its knees because this government not only did not plan for these contingencies; it's still sticking its head in the sand. Those members opposite in government are still kidding themselves that there'd be no problem to see here if only Australians would not panic. They're too busy blaming Australians to try to do their job. They're in government. They're not in opposition, in exile. They pull the strings. They control the policies and the settings which enable us, as a country, to deal with these crises. Government is hard, so they need to come to the party. They actually need to be honest with the Australian people. Don't stick your heads in the sand and say that it's all good. If it's all good, why are there more than 500 petrol stations in this country with no fuel today? It is not good enough.

This issue is not just about price; it's about supply. We're seeing reports of fuel stations running dry. Access is being restricted. Regional urban communities like mine are being hit the hardest. On the Sunshine Coast, as I said, fishermen are telling me that they are struggling. They are having to put people off. This is not theoretical; this is happening now. This parliament needs to focus on getting fuel flowing and getting prices under control, and these bills— (Time expired)

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