Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Searching for a servo that's not empty, filling up a car at an exorbitant cost, cancelling travel plans altogether—this is the Easter that so many Australians face. Instead of a happy holiday, for many, there will be uncertainty. Yes, the fuel crisis started abroad, but it has been amplified here in Australia by complacency and confusion from this government.

First, the energy minister denied there was a crisis. He is a gaslighter extraordinaire. Then, after admitting there was a problem, he sat on his hands. He outsourced his responsibilities to the so-called fuel tsar, and then he blamed Australians for buying too much. He and the PM told us there was plenty of fuel. But, if that's the case, move the fuel. Meanwhile, we know that over 600 servos are without fuel. Then, after the coalition proposed a fully costed plan to slash the fuel tax on Friday, Labor took the weekend off, and then on Monday, they begrudgingly adopted our plan but couldn't say how they would pay for it, adding to the inflationary fire that the Treasurer has overseen.

This government's failure to prepare has become its failure to act, and a failure to act always lands on the shoulders of the Australian people.

Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is the day. Our promise to cut the fuel excise by 50 per cent has started to come into effect. These changes cut 26.3 cents per litre from fuel prices, saving around $19 on a 65-litre tank. For families across the north, that's not loose change; that's groceries and school supplies. It's a bit of breathing room at the end of a long week. Because, when fuel goes up, everything goes up—the weekly shop, getting to work, getting the kids to school and even the cost of keeping small businesses moving. This is practical cost-of-living relief delivered now, for tradies heading out of the crack of dawn, for shift workers arriving home late, for truckies keeping our shelves stocked and carrying Australia. This matters. It means fewer tough choices between filling the tank and paying the bills. It means supporting the very people who keep our economy moving every single day. Importantly, it recognises that Australians should not be punished at the pump for global pressures beyond their control. We are stepping in, easing that burden and putting money back where it belongs—in the pockets of everyday Australians. At the end of the day this is about fairness.

I'll tell you something else about fairness. It would be fair of the opposition to start supporting the leader of this party and of this country in getting on with making the lives of everyday Australians that little bit better, and stop politicising the fuel crisis on our borders right now.

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

In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.