Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Mary Morris, a fourth-generation farmer from Eudunda, needs fuel today—for her tractors, for her spray unit and to seed her crop, not to mention for her truck and her utes. Mary's been told that, despite her business being re-categorised as 'critical' and ordering her fuel on 4 March, the earliest she can expect her fuel is 1 April. Minister, why is Mary having to wait four weeks for the fuel she needs to farm?

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

Thank you very much—

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

The Minister for Aged Care will cease interjecting—

The Minister for Aged Care is warned. The Minister for Climate Change and Energy hasn't even begun his answer. To be interjecting in such a disorderly way is completely against the standing orders.

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 the question. If the honourable member wants to give me Mary's details—as other honourable members have been to see me in my office and have raised cases on behalf of their constituents—I will take it up and see what can be done through talking to suppliers because I understand the pressure that Mary's under. I have done that on multiple occasions for members opposite.

More broadly, I will say I told the House earlier, for example, that Ampol's supply to regional South Australia is up 44 per cent. I'm now in a position to share the figures of Viva, the other refiner. The Deputy Prime Minister and the member for Corangamite are very proud of our Geelong refinery, as we are. Their supply to regional Australia, year on year, is up 43 per cent in New South Wales, 22 per cent in Queensland, 14 per cent in South Australia and 8 per cent in Western Australia. If you take Ampol and Viva together, they are supplying a lot more petrol and diesel to regional Australia now than they were a year ago. That is catching up with that massive increase in demand that we saw in the days following 28 February. That is showing progress in a difficult circumstance.

Again, this government is working across the board with industry, with states, with peak groups and with farming groups. I want to give a particular mention to the National Farmers' Federation's constructive approach with me; with the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; and with others across the board—with the Treasurer and all of us. They have been working very constructively with us in this because they recognise this is, internationally, a very difficult circumstance. It's time for people of goodwill to come together. That's what adults in the room do.