Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion relating to the government's failure on fuel security, as circulated in the chamber.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in my name, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion relating to the government's failure on fuel security.

For those following along at home and for those who may be sitting in the tractor, this suspension motion is all about allowing the Senate to debate the government's failure to manage our fuel security, which has resulted in fuel shortages and price increases right around the country. You will have heard senators on the coalition benches today asking question after question after question and all week raising specific issues of shortages and price hikes for the Australian people. Whether we are talking about croppers in WA, which is the leader's home state, who are trying to fill tractors and harvesters right now and are unable to get the fuel they need to get the crop in and the crop off—this is an issue of fuel security.

As Senator McDonald will go to in her contribution to this suspension motion, the horticulture industry in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania is struggling to get diesel into the tractors that are needed to actually get the harvest off. What have we seen from this government on this issue? We've seen deflection after deflection after deflection. What did they do last week? Here's the big news story! Jim Chalmers wrote a letter to the ACCC whilst there were cars lined up at suburban servos. They were trying to fill the tank before it became unaffordable. This is not like deciding to buy camembert at the supermarket. Fuel means that families can get their kids to school and get themselves to and from work. It is not an elastic good in the weekly shopping budget, yet this government thought it was okay.

What made that so galling last week was the fuel price hikes at servos were for fuel that was already onshore. It was here already in Australia prior to the war in the Middle East starting. That's what made it so galling. You should have been prosecuting servos from day one, Jim Chalmers, instead of just writing letters to the ACCC. This week, when the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Minister King, my counterpart in the other place, was questioned about this, what was Minister King's answer as to why we are seeing fuel shortages and price hikes on diesel and petrol? She told the journos it was the Queensland floods. The Queensland floods were why you couldn't rock up to your local servo and get the tank filled. It was just incredible.

Shadow Minister Tehan and I have written to Minister Bowen because minister after minister—to specific question after question seeking to raise the concerns of everyday Australians, the fishing industry and the agriculture and mining industries here on the floor of the Senate—has said: 'We have enough supply, Australia. You are naughty, naughty consumers rushing to the bowser to get petrol and diesel that you can afford. How dare you get concerned that you won't have access to fuel when and where you might need it! How dare you ring in to 2GB, 3AW, 6PR or your local radio station and say, "Petrol has gone to $2.20," or "Petrol has gone to $2.50," or "Fuel has gone to three bucks."'

New South Wales farmers have raised their concerns. There are petrol stations in regional communities rationing, and it didn't start today. It's been happening all week, and we've got a government once again in denial on what's happening outside of this place. It is our job, as Liberal and National Party senators, to bring the concerns of our communities to this place and to ask ministers, who have the responsibility and the great privilege to be ministers, 'What are you doing about it?' That you say you can't do anything about it shows how absolutely pathetic you are.

You refuse to take responsibility. We know you actually have the ability under the legislation available to get granular data. Chris Bowen has the ability to get granular data on his desk so he can know where the fuel supplies are running out and he can distribute them to where they're needed so that Australians aren't paying more for fuel than they need to—on top of the cost-of-living crisis you created—and so our farmers and our fishers can get on with producing food. (Time expired)