Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australians can see right through this. This matter reeks of hypocrisy and it demonstrates why the current leader of the opposition just doesn't get it. Leadership is not using a global crisis to stoke fear and weaponise real anxiety for political gain, yet that is all those opposite have done since this conflict in the Middle East began.

But Australians are not quite surprised at this. They remember what leadership looked like under those opposite when the coalition last were in government. They remember being told, 'I don't hold a hose, mate,' by the then Liberal prime minister, who chose to holiday in Hawaii while regional Australia burned. They remember a vaccine rollout so bungled that, when the rest of the world was reopening, Australia couldn't, because, according to those opposite, it wasn't a race. And, in just the past three months, Australians have been reminded of this all over again. Former leader of the opposition Sussan Ley had the chance, in the wake of our country's worst terrorist attack in history, to do what every other opposition leader has done in recent memory—back team Australia, call for calm, call for unity. Instead, she manufactured outrage and stoked division, and one by one those opposite fell in behind her.

Today, nothing has changed. This new leader of the opposition, rather than working with the government and in the interest of the Australian people, uses this chamber to play politics by spreading misinformation and scaring families who are already anxious while watching the events overseas unfold and then feeling that pressure at home. All those opposite want to do is talk Australia down, because they are more interested in what they can gain from this crisis than backing Australians. We're not. We're stepping up, and we're stepping in. That is what leadership actually looks like: disciplined, methodical action and the commitment to give Australians the confidence when they need it most. The conflict may lie beyond our control, but our responses do not, and this government is exercising that responsibility every single day.

Under this prime minister's leadership, the government acted as soon as the crisis began, and we have acted every day since to give Australian households and businesses the best possible chance to withstand what this global crisis has already thrown at us and what it may still throw. We doubled penalties for false and misleading conduct and cartel behaviour by putting fuel companies on notice. We've given the ACCC stronger deterrence tools to protect Australians during this time of uncertainty. We have backed our trucking industry to keep moving so our economy keeps moving. And what do those opposite do? They didn't vote against it. I don't think they're even here, in the chamber. What is that leadership? Real leadership means stepping up and stepping in for workers, for businesses and for families under pressure.

We have focused every day on securing and strengthening fuel supply. We released 20 per cent of our fuel reserves, which are actually here in this country—not overseas. We've eased petrol standards. We've halved the fuel excise, which has unlocked more supply and lowered prices for ordinary Australians. While those opposite have been consumed by their own leadership dramas, the Prime Minister convened the National Cabinet and brought the states and territories and the Commonwealth together behind a coordinated approach and plan. That led to the appointment of the Fuel Supply Taskforce, the activation of emergency fuel coordination mechanisms and an agreement under the national fuel security framework.

Australians will remember what National Cabinet looked like under those opposite during the pandemic, when the then prime minister used it for political cover and attacked state premiers, who were simply trying to keep Australians safe. This is different. This is genuine national unity, and Australians recognise it. Time and time again, those opposite, who have sat on the government benches and know the weight of the responsibilities, have failed to rise to the occasion in this crisis. When Australians face hardship, their instinct is to look after one another—to look after their families, their neighbours, their community. Those opposite's first question isn't, 'How can we help?' Their first question is, 'How can we benefit?'

This government, under the steady and disciplined leadership of our prime minister, is not interested in playing that game. He's not offloading responsibility to other leaders. He's not boarding a plane for an overseas holiday. He is here and is focused on delivering for every Australian.

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