David Batt (Hinkler, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Right now, the cost of diesel in my regional Queensland electorate of Hinkler is sitting at levels above $3.20 per litre at many local fuel stations. Prices are visibly hitting Hinkler households in real time. Farmers can't get fertiliser, or, if they can, the price is doubled. Cafes are reducing shifts for workers as trade slows. Transport operators are hiking fuel levies to record highs. Many are cancelling what they consider non-essential expenses. Taxi operators tell me that the uncertainty is crippling.

And, just days out from Easter and school holidays, tourists—the drive market bound for my region—are cancelling tours and holidays altogether. The Lady Musgrave Experience usually takes close to 150 people each day out to the southern Great Barrier Reef. Owner Brett Lakey said that they're getting cancellations daily and people are putting their bookings on hold because visitors can't afford the fuel to travel or they're worried the fuel will run out before they drive home after their holiday. Just to top it off for Brett, he's paying $2,500 extra every day for fuel for his boat. They put a small levy on passengers, but it doesn't even begin to cover a cost that has more than doubled.

The ripple impact is real, and it's being felt now. Hinkler is hurting. Regional Australia needs urgency and leadership. Move the fuel to the servos. Let's get Australia moving. Let's breathe some life back into regions like Hinkler.

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