Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes reports of fuel wholesalers rationing petrol and diesel across Australia, raising serious concerns about fuel supply;

(2) condemns the Government's failure to reassure Australians that a plan is in place to protect the nation's fuel security;

(3) recognises Australia is a diesel-reliant economy, with fuel critical to transporting food, pharmaceuticals and essential goods;

(4) further notes the former Government introduced the Petroleum and Other Fuels Reporting Act to strengthen monitoring of Australia's fuel supplies; and

(5) calls on the Government to urgently outline its fuel security strategy and use its powers to identify and protect industries at risk of fuel shortages, including farmers, fishers, manufacturers and transport operators.

I've moved this motion today because Australia is in the midst of a crisis. Wholesalers are rationing fuel across the country, yet the government has failed to provide a clear plan to protect our fuel security. Fifty-two per cent of the energy consumed in this economy is liquid fuels. As a diesel reliant economy, we cannot afford to wait. Fuel is the lifeblood that moves our food, our medicine and our essential goods. Without it, our supply chain grinds to a halt.

Today, before this motion was submitted, I was pleased to see the government listen to the coalition and halve the fuel excise for three months. I'm calling on the government to outline its real and actionable strategy. It is a time to use the tools at our disposal, like the monitoring powers established by the former government, to identify and protect the industries most at risk. From our farmers and fishers to our manufacturers and truckies, Australia deserves a guarantee that our livelihoods won't be left stranded by a lack of leadership.

The Prime Minister has shown no urgency. One in eight servos in New South Wales have run dry. Closer to home, as part of the No Fuel Here campaign, Grey is the second highest on the list with 55 outages across the electorate. And what is the Prime Minister's advice? He says we should buy an electric vehicle. While the sentiment of this statement by the Prime Minister may hold some water in the lake of make belief, we need to be living in the land of reality. The reality is Australians can't even afford to buy their groceries, pay their rent or pay their power bills, let alone buy a new electric car.

Today in Parliament House we had an electric prime mover on show. Well, I've done some research. The biggest electric prime movers made today have a big battery of 700 kilowatt hours. That is a big, heavy battery. On our farm, our prime movers tow about 114 tonnes of, typically, wheat or lentils. If you put that on this electric truck, guess what the range is? It's between 150 and 300 kilometres. Our farm has a five kilowatt SWER line. If our line on the farm was plugged into that truck to charge it up, running flat out, it would take 130 hours or 5.5 days to charge. Battery technology is great, but it is miles and miles away from being a legitimate replacement to industry.

We need the Prime Minister to do two things: release an immediate plan to distribute fuel to dry servos and build a long-term strategy for fuel security. His belated decision to underwrite imports does nothing to get petrol and diesel to stations today. While we will not block the fair work fairer fuel bill in the House, we note it lacks an end date or review period. We will scrutinise this closely to ensure appropriate checks and balances.

This neglect stretches beyond fuel; our food security faces a silent threat. We rely on the Middle East for 60 per cent of our imports of urea, which is the lifeblood of our crops. Shipments are delayed and experts warn the window to protect the 2026 season is closing fast. The coalition saw this coming and backed domestic urea production. This government simply has no plan. If our farmers cannot get fertiliser, city prices will skyrocket and regional producers will go bankrupt.

The message from the country is clear. We are tired of being ignored. This threatens the livelihood of a truckie moving goods across the Nullarbor or a farmer about to start seeding. Outsourcing this crisis to a taskforce coordinator only reinforces the chilling sense that no-one is firmly in charge. That is not leadership; it is cold hearted deflection. Under Labor, inflation is higher, interest rates are tighter and fuel is running out. I remind the House again that mining trucks cannot run on batteries, fishing boats cannot run on batteries and prime movers in the agricultural sector cannot run on batteries. We need to keep diesel moving in this economy.

Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unlike the member for Grey, I haven't been busy coming up with zingers like 'lake of make belief'. What I've been doing is working through what the people of Grey might need at an incredibly difficult time—what the mums and dads who rely on fuel to get to school, to get to sport and to get to their jobs every day in Grey might need; what the farmers and other people involved in the supply chain that help us get food to our grocery stores and from the grocery stores to the table might need; and what our health professionals, our aged-care professionals and people who support our communities every day, who need fuel, might need.

As I look at the private member's business before us, I note that the member for Grey has raised two things, both here and in his contribution. The first is to reassure Australians that a plan is in place, and the second is to urgently outline its fuel security strategy. I think it is appropriate, given that the member for Grey may not have had the opportunity to tell his local constituents what that plan is, to go through it today so that they can know and understand it.

It's a plan that has four stages: to plan and prepare; to keep Australia moving to make sure that things are getting from point A to point B; to take targeted action; and to protect critical services for all Australians. I want to talk about a number of things that we are doing, in practical terms, that help everyday Australians every day.

Firstly, we're halving the fuel excise, something that was announced today. Halving the fuel excise for the next three months means a few things. It means that every single litre of fuel will be cheaper until the end of June, and that means that Australians will get instantaneous relief when it comes to their hip pockets. Secondly, we're altering the fuel standards, making sure that we are keeping more fuel in our country so that we can have more supply in the market. Thirdly, we're releasing 20 per cent of our stockpile, a stockpile that the Albanese Labor government have ensured is held in this country, in Australia, because having fuel reserves in Australia is critical to being able to release fuel reserves when we need them most, like right now. In contrast, what we know is that those opposite and the now leader of the opposition believed that those fuel reserves should be held on another continent, in Texas. Fourthly, we're cracking down on unscrupulous actors who would take advantage of a crisis and a war in the Middle East for their own commercial gain. And that is not on. We believe not only that the ACCC should have the ability to have on-the-spot fines. We also believe that those penalties should be harsh. They should mean something and they should hold people accountable. And that's why we've doubled them. Fifthly, we've established a taskforce. We're working with leaders from across the breadth and depth of our country, taking expert advice and making sure that there is a coordinated approach. Sixthly, we're giving truckies a fair go—making sure, while our supply chains might be doing it tough, that truckies aren't. Seventhly, we're underwriting private purchases of fuel on international markets to make sure that we can get as much fuel into our country as we need—again, to make sure that we have enough supply to ease the burden on Australian people.

My message to the people of Grey is this: that is our plan. It is a plan to keep Australia moving. It is a plan to get fuel into our country and to make sure that, when it gets here, it goes to the places that need it most. It is a plan to boost supply. It is a plan to make fuel cheaper. It is a plan to ensure that people have the relief they need.

We know that people are doing it incredibly tough right now—not just when it comes to fuel but also at the check-out when they pay their bills. We have a national fuel security plan, and this government is focused not on zingers but on rolling it out for real people.

Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the amendment seconded?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion, and let me explain to the member for Moreton that, if the government had a plan, you wouldn't have over 500 fuel stations without fuel. You wouldn't have farmers without the ability to bring in bulk supplies to plant or harvest their crops, as we sit at this moment. Just for your information, Member for Moreton, I've been at a cabinet table. When you talk about something of national security, which is what fuel is, and when you understand the geopolitical issues that arise—particularly when you see a war unleashed in the Middle East, where much of the fuel in this global community is derived—there is advice given to the government straightaway around the threats that will be coming our way. But the fact is that there was no plan. The fact is that they had no understanding of the supply issues that were about to hit this country, because they worked in the superficial. They worked on the advice of the big four fuel companies that said, 'We'll keep putting fuel into the capital cities to make sure there is no panic.' And they didn't understand the market itself—didn't understand that there are two markets: while the big four fuel companies in this country control 80 per cent of the market, there is a secondary market, where smaller wholesale players actually undertake to supply us in regional Australia, like the seat of Grey.

The lived experience of the people of Grey is not just their farmers not being able to fill their tanks but also their communities. I myself had the same. The town of Dalby, with 12,000 people, ran out of fuel. Texas, with 800 people, ran out of fuel. Allora ran out of fuel. Wallangarra ran out of fuel. But that's okay because the people of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane were still able to fill up for a while—that is, until now, when, low and behold, there is a supply issue!

The fact is that this minister, from the very moment—because of the legislation that we put in place as a coalition government—knew where every litre of fuel was in this country when this crisis started. When he knew that there were bombs dropped in Iran and that there were going to be global supply issues, he did not understand that he had the powers to make sure he knew where every litre of fuel was. The people of Grey and the people of Maranoa and the people across regional Australia are not the second-class citizens that this government has treated us as. That was the reality he could have actually undertaken straightaway, and then he could have utilised his powers to move those litres of fuel.

He simply said, 'It is all about the people of Australia going out there and taking more fuel than they need.' Well, he didn't create the environment, because he had no plan. Then he said, 'All we'll do is we'll give the ACCC some more powers.' Well, the ACCC already had the powers, and he was going to increase the penalties. He's going to increase the penalties to $100 million. Bully for him! But, unless the ACCC was charged with the responsibility of going out there and undertaking investigations into these wholesale markets, where we're being taken advantage of by the big four, then nothing was going to happen. You can lift the penalties as much as you want, but the ACCC has done nothing. In fact, regional Australia has no confidence in the ACCC. They have about as much credence as the Bureau of Meteorology! That is how much credence and hope we have in the ACCC being able to hold these big fuel companies to account and to make sure regional Australia (1) gets its supply and (2) is treated with a fair price. We have no confidence in this government nor in the ACCC. You can lift the penalties until the cows come home, but it will do nothing. It will do nothing at all. This is the reality: we have had a minister and a government that have not understood the supply chains globally, and, more importantly, have not understood the supply chains here in our country.

We're now finding out that there is rationing happening, not just in regional Australia. I can tell you, in my hometown of Allora, they were asking me to only take 40 litres at the bowser. We're seeing that now right across this country. They don't have to mandate the number of litres that you can take at service stations, because Australians are having to do it themselves despite there being a secure supply.

This is why this plan is full of nonsense rather than hard facts about a minister using the powers he had from the very moment this crisis hit. If he was listening to the advice that was coming from the experts saying that there were going to be global supply issues and, therefore, that there would be local supply issues, he would have known, intrinsically. He would have known where those litres were. He would have known where to push them to. That is what a good minister would do.

And a treasurer that understood the secondary wholesale market, that understood the big fuel companies were holding back, hedging against future price shocks, as well as—lo and behold—lifting overall prices, would have seen a government look coherent and actually in tune with how Australia actually operates. If you do not have fuel, you do not have food and you do not have an economy, and that is what the Albanese government has rendered Australia to.

Tom French (Moore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to oppose this motion because, while those opposite are very good at talking up concern, they are far less interested in acknowledging what is actually happening globally. Australians are not naive. They are watching global events unfold, particularly in the Middle East, and they understand that instability in energy markets has very real consequences here at home. They see it. They can feel it. What they expect from their government in moments like this is not panic; it is competence, coordination and a clear plan. That is exactly what this government is delivering.

We've been actively managing this situation, not reacting late and not scrambling but planning, coordinating and acting. We've boosted supply by releasing up to 20 per cent of fuel reserves. We've amended fuel standards to bring more supply into the market, and we've supported domestic refining capacity because sovereign capability matters, and we've put into place the coordination architecture needed to manage a challenge of this scale—a dedicated fuel supply taskforce; National Cabinet engagement; industry roundtables with transport, agriculture and fuel supplies; the National Coordination Mechanism activated; and the National Oil Supplies Emergency Committee convened. That is what a plan looks like.

Critically, we are also providing immediate practical relief to Australians. The government has halved the fuel excise for three months, cutting around 26c per litre off the price of petrol and diesel. That's real cost-of-living relief at around $19 off a typical tank at a time when households are under pressure. We've reduced the heavy vehicle road user charge to zero to help take pressure off freight and supply chains, because fuel is not optional in this country. It underpins everything. It's how food moves from farms to supermarkets. It's how medicines are delivered. It's how tradies, manufacturers and transport operators keep working. In outer metropolitan electorates like mine in Moore, that reliance is front and centre. Across our growing suburbs and around Joondalup, people rely on their cars to get to work, run small businesses and keep things moving.

Let's be clear, when fuel prices spike, it's not abstract in places like Moore. It's tradies cancelling jobs because the margins don't stack up. It's small businesses absorbing higher delivery costs. It's families thinking twice about every trip, from school drop-offs to weekend sport. That's why measures like halving the fuel excise matter, not as a media grab but as real relief right now.

Before coming to this place, I worked as an electrician on commercial and industrial sites, and I can tell you this: systems don't run on rhetoric; they run on planning, coordination and reliable inputs, like fuel. That is what this government understands. Compare it to those opposite, because we've seen this before. When Australia faced a national crisis during COVID, we saw what happens when planning isn't there—supply chains under pressure, confusion and a government scrambling to catch up.

When it comes to fuel security, their record speaks for itself. Four out of Australia's six refineries closed under the coalition. Two of those closures occurred when the current opposition leader was the energy minister, and, at that time, he said those closures would not negatively impact Australia's fuel supply. That is not just wrong; it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of fuel security, because, when you hollow out domestic refining capacity, you increase dependence on imports and you increase exposure to global shocks. That is exactly the vulnerability we are now working to manage. Then there is the decision to spend close to $100 million on storing fuel in the United States, 14,000 kilometres away. You do not strengthen Australia's fuel security by storing fuel on another continent.

When those opposite come in here and claim concern, Australians are entitled to ask where that concern was when the decisions that weakened our system were being made. The contrast is clear. They talked; we're acting. They weakened capacity; we are strengthening it. They outsourced resilience; we are rebuilding it. This motion suggests Australians should be worried that nothing is being done. That is simply not true. What is being done is significant, it is coordinated and it is focused on protecting Australians from the worst impacts of a volatile global environment. In moments like this, what matters is not who can raise the loudest concern; what matters is who is actually doing the work. This government is doing the work, and that is why I reject this motion.

Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.