Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Standing orders should be suspended for this matter, because Australians are very worried right now about our fuel security. I credit Senator McDonald for bringing this issue forward, because it gives us the opportunity here to explain to the Australian people what is being done to help them.

It is a little disappointing to me that the government won't take this opportunity to do that. If they were taking action and if they were able to provide reassurance to the Australian people, you'd think they'd welcome this motion so that they could explain in detail to the Australian people exactly what they are doing. But as we've seen in question time and just now, we have a minister here in this chamber, with some responsibility on this issue, who continues to deflect from the real issues and to just throw the most hysterical rants about the other side of politics, and all these conspiracy theories, and right-wing actors—who are the ones, apparently, causing the anxiety in the Australian public.

No. The reason the Australian people are anxious about their energy and fuel security is that this government has no credibility as to their statements about energy and climate policy. This government said that they'd cut electricity bills by $275 for Australians. They didn't do it. This government said that they would lower gas prices, when they hauled us all here before Christmas to impose the most onerous regulatory regime we've ever seen in this country. That didn't happen. And so, because this government hasn't been able to abide by its own promises, which it has made, the Australian people are understandably a little sceptical now about any statement the government makes. It would be better if the government could simply take a calm and reassuring approach to this issue, instead of resorting to hysteria as the minister has done today and through this week in the Senate.

In the Middle East conflict about 20 years ago, there was a character that popped up, that many of us remember, who became named 'Baghdad Bob', who would do these press conferences and say, 'Everything's fine in Baghdad; everything's under control,' and meanwhile, US tanks were rolling past behind him. Well, now we don't have Baghdad Bob; this time we have Ayatollah Ayres! Ayatollah Ayres is in here saying, 'Everything is fine! Don't worry! There's no problem! Petrol prices might be too high—