Simon Kennedy (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that 10 per cent of service stations in New South Wales currently have no diesel? How many service stations in Australia are currently without fuel?

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

I thank the member for Cook for his question. Indeed there are supply issues for select petrol stations around Australia. We've acknowledged that. We've acknowledged that that's the case. I will ask the minister to add, but what we're doing is actually constructively working through everything that is possible to increase supply—everything that is possible, whether that be what we did with changing fuel standards for both diesel and petrol, whether it be making sure that the 20 per cent that we released goes to petrol stations particularly in regional Australia or whether it be the measure that we announced on Saturday with the energy minister.

Not everyone on that side has been critical of it, it must be said. There are some that have recognised that there is a war going on and that there's an impact of that war, as most Australians understand directly. For example, one said about the measures that we've taken—Andrew Hastie, the Liberal Deputy Leader in the House of Representatives—there's a title for you!

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

Order! The manager on a point of order.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Direct relevance, Speaker. This was a very specific question. It didn't ask for a compare and contrast with the coalition—nothing like that. It wanted confirmation about 10 per cent of fuel stations in New South Wales not having diesel, as well as other service stations across Australia. It was a very specific question.

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

Yes, it was specific. You're asking for facts and figures, and you'd like a yes/no and all of that. Order!

Order! The Leader of the Opposition is not helping. The Prime Minister was asked specific questions about facts and figures. It was a narrow question. I can't compel him, under the standing orders, to answer those. We're just going to continue on.

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

I was asked a question about supply, and that's what I'm talking about. I know the Manager of Opposition Business might object to me positively quoting the Liberal deputy leader, but I will. He went on to say yesterday, 'I think we need to be doing whatever we can to make sure that we have sufficient supply in this country.' He went on to say:

In principle, this makes sense … these are big and extraordinary powers, but we are in extraordinary times …

I welcome the fact that there's someone over there who does recognise that these are extraordinary times and therefore there are challenges.

This sort of question from the member for Cook—when you have supply pressures, there will be impacts of those supply pressures. That is what is there, and that is what we are dealing with. But it isn't just some of those opposite who recognise the challenges which are there; many in the business community that we're working with do the same. Andrew Mackellar, the chief executive of ACCI, said yesterday,

We think it's a very positive step. It sends the right signal. It will ensure that we can … stand in the international marketplace and bid to get those stocks when they're available. And that's a critical part of the supply challenge at the moment.

So we're working on supply in order to deal with the challenge which not just we are facing but the entire globe is facing out of the fact that there is a war in the Middle East. (Time expired)