Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

People are working harder for less—and fuel security is so important. Minister Bowen has come into this place and on TV and said: 'There's no need to panic. There isn't a problem.' Well, when is the break-glass moment for this government? People can't get fuel. People can't afford to fill up their cars. People can't afford to go to the service station. But this minister is more worried about what's happening in the bubble than his actual job. How long does the Australian Defence Force have its fuel security for? The buck stops with this minister. Minister Bowen should be in this place making solutions for the Australian people. Instead he goes on TV, and he tells everyone in the gallery and around the country, 'No problem; nothing to see here. I'm great at my job.'

Well, Minister, the time to act is now. People cannot afford to fill up their cars. Businesses will close. This is not good enough. This minister should be walking in today and going, 'This is the break-glass moment,' not another round table. Shaq might be flying over to attend, like the Labor Party have done previously. We want action from this minister. We don't want more equivocation; we want this government to put Australians first. Get out of the bubble and start fixing this problem.