Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 and the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026. But I am a little bit confused about this. My question is: where did this come from? This just shows how this government is struggling. The Minister for Climate Change and Energy stood up here and said there are no fuel supply issues. As a matter of fact, he even got up and said that Australia has more fuel supply in the country now than before the Iran incident. That is absolutely amazing. So we don't have a supply issue; we must have a distribution issue.

On doubling the penalties for ACCC enforcement, my question would be: how much enforcement has been had by the ACCC so far? Can anybody point to me how many people have been prosecuted? Anybody? Crickets! I just don't think it's happening. Then, all of a sudden, we're going to double the penalties for something that's not even happening. That's why the coalition put in place and launched yesterday No Fuel Here. You can go to www.nofuelhere.com.au. That is a live reporting tool that everybody can jump on and say what service stations are out of fuel.

We were told by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy yesterday that there were over 500 service stations that didn't have fuel. Again, I definitely think there's a distribution problem if we don't have a supply problem, but I believe it's both. By launching www.nofuelhere.com.au, this will put power into the hands of constituents, who can then report, and it will be a live tool.

The residents in Dawson are struggling. They're struggling under the Albanese Labor created cost-of-living crisis, and, now, the extra price gouging that is happening from fuel is just adding insult to injury. We're seeing price increases of up to 40 cents in a day, and it keeps going. We're seeing fuel on the outskirts of Mackay now at $3.25 per litre, and that is simply not sustainable.

You hear talk from those opposite that there might be some rationing. Rationing in rural and regional Australia simply will not work. If you put $40 in the tank, then that's not going to get you very far. In my electorate, that's over 400 kilometres long, they'll be chasing fuel station to fuel station. People will be driving around, burning diesel or burning petrol, just looking for where they can buy their next bit of petrol. It just simply does not work. It's so important that the fuel flows to the regions because that's where the royalties come from, that's where the food comes from and that is the heart of Australia.

What we're witnessing here is a fundamental failure of logic and leadership from this government. They've dumped an amendment to the legislation on the desk and demanded that we blindly support two bills. This is a government that expects this House to rubberstamp their agenda without even a single second of proper scrutiny. It is an insult to the Australian people.

We're facing a national emergency, yet we're being forced to debate these bills together—a double-or-nothing legislative gamble. These are mafia tactics from a government who are clearly taking their tips from the CFMEU—speed over substance, power of people. The Australian people deserve a parliament that acts with transparency instead. We're being blindsided by a government that refuses to allow time for consultation. How are we meant to speak with the independent fuel providers when the government rushes legislation through in the dark of night? It is a fundamental truth that we cannot have a functioning democracy without scrutiny, but this government seems to believe they have the numbers and can just shake us down.

Doubling the penalties for the ACCC is not going to be a success. Let's make sure the government enforces what's there— (Time expired)

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