Jamie Chaffey (Parkes, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Transwest Fuels is an independent wholesale supplier in Gunnedah and Mungindi in my electorate. Normally it services more than 2,000 agricultural customers. They have now been turned away by their usual bulk fuel supplier in both New South Wales and Queensland and have no certainty that they can secure enough fuel for businesses or the farms that they support. What action is the minister taking to fix Australia's fuel supply storage?

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. As I outlined in my previous answer, yes, in regional Australia, there are real pressures on supply chains. So I am sure that the facts that the honourable member has put are correct, and I am sure that that is something that other companies in a similar situation are experiencing. That's why we have convened three meetings of the national oil emergency supply committee, which is an important committee which every state and territory is represented on. In addition, the relevant ministers and I have convened all the key stakeholders, including the National Farmers'—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'm not really prepared to take the point of order, because the minister was answering directly what action was being taken when he was addressing the House. It is impossible to take a point of order on relevance because the minister was just updating the House on what actions had been taken, what meetings had occurred and who he had met with. I gave a decision last week that I would take points of order, but you're pushing the friendship if it's on relevance. The member for Page has the call.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, with all due respect, the point of order is on relevance because we were asking about action. Meetings aren't action. We want some action, not meetings.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. I think everyone heard that point of order and can see it for what it was. If the minister is updating the House on his actions that he's taken, which is the question that was asked, that's an abuse of the standing orders. He was updating the House on who he was meeting with about the issue the member for Parkes had asked him about. He couldn't have been more directly relevant. No-one thinks that's anything other than the case. As I said, if this continues, I will simply not take points of order. I just won't take them, and the minister will continue. So that is in your hands, those people who take points of order.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We met with the NFF, Trucking Australia, Fertilizer Australia and the peak group of service stations in Australia, the Australian Institute of Petroleum. And I did say to every single person on that call: 'Is there any government action that you would like to ask ministers for today? Because if you ask for it, we will take it if we can.' And the most common response to that was this: 'Please ensure Australians understand there is no need for panic buying, because it is that which is causing the pressure.' That's what the NFF said. That's what the other peak groups said, and that's what we are doing. It is the case. There are there are pressures on supply chains.

The Leader of the Opposition interjects, saying, 'Just move the supplies around.' We had four refineries close while the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Hume, was the minister for energy. We saw in that period of government four refineries close, which made moving the supplies around just that little bit harder. I can say to the House, in terms of action, that as the House knows the minimum stock obligation requirements are collected weekly but have only been reported quarterly. I have instructed that, during this period of heightened uncertainty and concern, those figures will now be reported weekly. That is a regime which is appropriate in this situation. I didn't hear the Leader of the Opposition weeks ago say it should be done weekly. We have done that. He hasn't even called today for it to be done weekly. We have done that, and that is an appropriate policy action to take.