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

Last week, we heard the Minister for Climate Change and Energy stand up in this place in question time and extol the virtues of the government's liquid fuel supplies. We heard him say, in fact, that there were 34 days of diesel supply. We all heard him say that, didn't we? We remember hearing him say that.

Well, let me tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker Claydon, that I received a phone call yesterday from Heidi and Pavo Walker from Walker Seafoods, who have one of the largest fishing fleets on the eastern seaboard of Australia. They told me that they had zero fuel, zero diesel, on Mooloolaba wharves—zero, zip, nada. Not a scrap of diesel could be got for them, or for De Brett or Rockcliff—three of our large fishing companies in the seat of Fisher. What this means is that around 50 businesses on the Sunshine Coast, on the wharves, can't go to sea; they can't fish; they can't catch our protein; and they can't export it, obviously. What that means is that they may have to lay off staff. And Australian businesses are going to suffer and all Australians are going to suffer as a result.

This government needs to get its act together. It talks the big talk, but, when push comes to shove, it can't organise a chook raffle.