Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the following from occurring immediately:

(1) the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 being called on immediately and having precedence over all other business;

(2) debate on the second reading of the bill proceeding without interruption, with the time for each speech limited to 5 minutes;

(3) questions then being immediately put on any amendments moved to the motion for the second reading and on the second reading of the bill;

(4) if required, a consideration in detail stage of the bill, with any detail amendments to be moved together, with:

(a) one question to be put on all government amendments;

(b) one question to be put on all opposition amendments;

(c) separate questions then to be put on any sets of amendments moved by crossbench Members; and

(d) one question to be put that the bill [as amended] be agreed to;

(5) any remaining questions required to conclude consideration in detail being put from no later than 1 pm;

(6) when the bill has been agreed to, the question being put immediately on the third reading of the bill; and

(7) any variation to these arrangements being made only on a motion moved by the Manager of Opposition Business.

The standing and sessional orders must be suspended, because the opposition is being forced to do the government's job for it during this national fuel crisis. The government made a big deal about this ACCC bill. They said that it was urgent. We had the minister saying that it was urgent. Yet here we are, on Thursday of this parliamentary sitting week, in the middle of a national fuel crisis, and all we've had is this bill introduced. They've made no efforts to come to the opposition and say: 'This is what's in it. We want to get it done quickly.' There've been no briefings for the shadow Treasurer. And all this is happening while diesel and petrol prices are going through the roof. I've just had a report in Warrnambool, in my electorate, that the diesel price has just hit $3.20.

It gives me no joy to be in here doing the government's job for them. As a matter of fact, I find it quite sad, because there doesn't seem to be an understanding on the government benches of what is actually occurring out in Australia at the moment. They seem to be just caught in some sort of bubble where they don't have any realisation about what is happening in Australia right across the nation. At the moment, families are sitting at their kitchen tables, saying: 'Are we going to be able to afford to go on Easter holidays? Are we going to be able to travel to where we normally go, and is there going to be fuel there for us to be able to get home with?' All they're getting from the government is—and we saw this; there were five senior cabinet ministers out there yesterday saying, 'We've got more fuel than we did when the Iran war started.' Where is it?

We've been saying to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy: 'Why don't you do your job? Find out where the fuel shortages are, and get the fuel to where the shortages are.' Yet we've had nothing. They've said that they're going to make this big impact on anyone that's gouging—'We're going to double the fines.' Where's the legislation? It is not here. Where is the urgency in dealing with the national fuel crisis?

You have to remember: this is the minister who made changes, because there was fuel being exported out of Australia, to say that it will stay here. He basically changed the sulphur requirements. Guess how long the paperwork sat on his desk for him to do that? Over five days for the paperwork! This is in a national fuel crisis. Guess what we said to him two weeks ago? There are more changes that you could make around the fuel standards. Guess what the minister did? It took him till yesterday to do it. That was two weeks. And he accuses us of not being positive, not offering solutions, during a national fuel crisis.

Well, here is another one. This ACCC bill—we've been through it. The shadow Treasurer spent all night last night going through it because he wants to make sure it's fine. He wants to make sure that we can bring it on and bring it on immediately. That is exactly why we are seeking to suspend the standing and sessional orders—so that we can do this.

If the government wants to sit on its hands and pretend there is nothing happening out in our country at the moment, why not be honest with the Australian people and just come out and say that? Everything that we're hearing on our side shows there are real issues and real problems everywhere, and yet we've got a government which seems hapless and helpless about trying to do anything.

Just to give you a sense of what's happening in Western Australia, there's a cyclone that's coming through. Hopefully, that won't do too much damage, but that's going to bring rain with it—and we've got the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry here. It means that, as soon as that rain goes through, all those grain growers in Western Australia are going to want to get on their tractors and start sowing but, if they don't have the diesel, they're not going to be able to do it. Then you go to a family in Tasmania. They might be thinking, 'We might go over to the mainland for the Easter school holidays,' but they're worried. They're worried about the cost of petrol. It has hit $2.60. The cost of diesel has hit $3.20. They're worried that they'll get over there and won't be able to get fuel to put in the car to get back. This is what people are dealing with.

This weekend, there will be mums and dads across Australia who will be doing the drop-off to sport. As they go to netball, as they go to soccer, as they go to football, as they go to gymnastics, they'll be sitting there thinking, 'Gee, this is costing me a lot. We will probably have to limit the Easter eggs that we buy for Easter Sunday. We're probably going to have to think about, okay, are we going to get those pair of soccer boots? Are we going to be able to get those runners for netball?' They are the sorts of things that they will be thinking about. What's the government thinking about? They're not thinking about anything. I mean, there is no urgency whatsoever, and it's going to be an absolute insight into this government's dealing with this issue, this national fuel crisis. Remember, the only reason we got it called a 'national fuel crisis' was because Minister Bowen, finally, under enormous pressure, had to admit that that's what it was.

But this is going to be the biggest test yet, because here's the opposition offering bipartisanship. We've got this motion. Let's just suspend everything else to do with the parliament and let's bring the ACCC bill on. Now, guess what I think the leader of business in the House is going to do? Guess what I think he's going to do? I reckon he's going to gag us, so this will be a real test. Here is a genuine offer of bipartisanship, so will you agree to our suspension and will you bring the bill on? Will you let us debate it? Will you let it pass, go into the Senate and, hopefully, then it will offer a little bit of reassurance? I mean, the Australian people are going to need a lot more reassurance, because nothing else that's been done has been done with any sort of urgency. But this will be a test for the government, because, if you're serious, here we have bipartisanship being offered to bring this on and away we go. Let's whip it through the parliament and, if there's any other legislation, here's the offering to the government from the opposition.

We understand how people are hurting. We understand the importance of this, so, if you're genuine, we will work in a bipartisan way with you with any legislation that we think will make this better. As a matter of fact, we're happy to go and sit in the minister's office when the paperwork comes up so that he doesn't sit there for four or five days while fuel's being exported out of this country. That's the type of offering that we are making to you because we want you to understand how serious this issue is—

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