Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Choice in Childcare and Early Learning) Share this | Hansard source

Deputy President Brockman, you know better than anyone else here in this chamber what it means for rural and regional Australians to not have an adequate, reliable supply of fuel. In Western Australia we're coming close to seeding time, and farmers need to have confidence that when the rains come they can get out immediately; they've got to get out and sow their crops for, hopefully, a very good season. But right now we've got farmers across Western Australia doubtful about their capacity and ability to do that because they're not getting fuel delivered to them.

I asked a question during question time in relation to the fuel supply going into roadhouses. We've seen examples of roadhouses across Western Australia and fuel stations in regional Western Australia that don't have an adequate supply of fuel and, therefore, have had to either ration or close. This is unacceptable. We asked this question in question time, and the response I got back from Senator Wong was that we were peddling misinformation and dealing with misinformation. Tell that to the ABC, because it was the ABC that reported Mr Coppin's words. It wasn't just me parroting in question time a rumour I'd heard; it was Mr Coppin's response to an ABC journalist that was printed on the ABC website:

At any time, probably 10 to 15 minimum cars … lined up trying to get fuel and filling up jerry cans.

I was told that that was misinformation.

What's the government doing here? It's trying to blame motorists or the opposition for peddling misinformation or fearmongering. The reality is that motorists are fronting up to fuel stations across Australia, not just in regional Australia; we heard Senator Collins tell the story of the roadhouse that was part of the question from Senator McDonald—the roadhouse in Mount Gravatt, in inner-city Brisbane—that didn't have fuel. Fuel stations run out from time to time; we know that, and we've all experienced that. But when we're seeing it at the scale that's happening right now across the country, we know we've got a problem.

The problem with the answers given by the government, whether it was Minister Wong or Minister Ayres, is that they seem to suggest that the supply chain responsibility of this government ends at the port, at the distribution centre, and that there isn't a supply chain necessary to get fuel where it's needed. When you talk to a farmer or a motorist, when they think about supply chains they think about the supplier that brings it to their demand, which is their vehicle, tractor, harvester or feeder. It's not just at the port.

We keep hearing, 'You didn't do anything about it in government.' This is absolute rubbish. Of course we did something about it. When we were last in government, the coalition implemented a comprehensive fuel security package which included the establishment of a domestic fuel reserve through the minimum stockholding obligation—which safeguarded key transport stocks at a base level—delivered support to ensure Australia's long-term refining capabilities through the fuel security services payment and established a diesel storage program. As part of that, in layman terms, the minister has the capacity to get real-time access to fuel storage across Australia and the network. He has the capacity to direct wholesalers as to where they should transport fuel to ensure that there is an adequate supply of fuel. So the government can actually do something about it.

The minister is saying that every ship that has been ordered has been arriving, and that might well be true. But what seems to be happening is suppliers are hoarding or holding it and are not releasing it for distribution. The minister has the power to direct those companies to get that fuel out across the supply chain and right onto farms, into roadhouses and across Australia, but they're not acting. The problem is the minister and the government as a whole are believing their own nonsense. They keep blaming everyone else, and that means they're not taking the action that Australians need and deserve.

If we don't sort this out, this country could literally grind to a halt. You might say that's scaremongering, but why don't you take action? Then there won't be that problem.

Question agreed to.