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

I've had a big day today, but I don't want to talk about me. I want to talk about the people that have contacted me in the past week that are struggling to access fuel in, often, rural or regional communities. It's hard to fathom how we got to this stage. In particular, our nation's farmers don't know if they can plant a crop in the next week. I spoke to someone yesterday who may even face the shocking outcome of needing to put down livestock because a lack of fuel impacts the mill and the ability to grow food, and there's no way to get the livestock off, who may be starving at the end of this. This is a critical issue. I know the government understands how important it is, but I want to implore the government to focus on the solutions.

There has been, in this place and I think in the media, a focus on why we're in this situation. I don't have access to all the data. Maybe it is because there are people hoarding with jerry cans and the like. Maybe that's the issue. It's certainly not an issue with supply. As the government says, you can track that. You can see the boats still arriving, and fuel is coming into the country. But there's too much focus on why it's happening—and ultimately blaming some people for that outcome—and not enough focus on what we're going to do now. Let us just solve it. We are in this. It's not our doing.

We're not blaming the government for the situation we're in, but it is their responsibility now to work out how we get fuel to that guy who might be facing the shocking, tragic circumstance of putting down livestock. I know the government has the tools to do this. In legislation, they do have the tools to direct supplies of fuel in these kinds of emergencies. The government could be lobbying the International Energy Agency for a release of international fuel stocks like other countries are doing. As I said, I'm not blaming the government for being in this mess, but it is their responsibility as government to fix it. Stop the blame game; just fix it for people as soon as possible.