Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

():  My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. What is the Albanese government doing to secure our fuel supply and support Australians during this fuel spike? What other approaches are there?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank the member for Hasluck for her question and her interest in the transport industry in particular. Since the commencement of the Middle East conflict, we have been working to ensure that Australians have access to the fuel that they need. I'm in regular contact with transport representatives working on practical measures to address the consequences of rising international fuel prices. Tomorrow I will convene a third such meeting of transport and the fuel industry together.

Across government and industry, we are working on a coordinated approach, and already we have released 20 per cent of the minimum stockholding obligation for petrol and diesel, particularly directed to regional communities, and amended fuel standards for petrol and now, announced yesterday, diesel to allow more supply into the market. We've announced legislation to amend the Fair Work Act so transport operators can renegotiate the cost of fuel in their contracts now, not in six months time. We've introduced legislation to strengthen the ACCC's hand, doubling penalties for companies found guilty of unfairly raising their fuel prices. And we continue to monitor airlines and airfares closely. We're working with our regional partners, like Singapore and Korea, to shore up supplies, strengthening energy security, and support the flow of essential goods. In the longer term, we are of course building a sustainable fuels industry here in Australia through our $1.1 billion Cleaner Fuels Program.

Our government is continuing to work around the clock to respond to these fuel price spikes and the issues around supply. But, when we look at those opposite, what do we see? We see absolute chaos and no ideas at all. In the Senate yesterday, the shadow minister for infrastructure announced that the coalition would be supporting a motion for the Commonwealth to pay states and territories for their public transport fares. It's up to them to say they're going to do that. But, when it actually came down to the vote itself, all of the Liberal members fled the chamber. It was, frankly, like watching a game of follow the leader. The only problem was they couldn't decide which leader. There are now more people with 'leader 'in their title in the coalition than there are women sitting on the frontbench in the House. Imagine them each morning: 'leader', 'leader', 'leader', 'leader', 'leader'—hello! While we're getting on with the job of dealing with an international global crisis, those opposite simply are an absolute joke.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On that note, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.