Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of all answers to coalition questions.

Today, we spoke about a number of things. Obviously, front of mind is fuel. I note the change in tone, over the last week, of the government on fuel. It started out with 'nothing to see here; we are all raising the roof'. 'Hair burners' was used today, I believe. Out there, farmers who are raising concerns are 'hair burners'. We're talking about the cost of it. We're talking about the access to it. 'There's no supply issue'—if there's no supply issue, why are we seeing prices we are in regional Australia? Why are we hearing about service stations that will not be able to deliver fuel in hours, days, weeks or whatever it will be? Why are we seeing Xavier Martin, the NSW Farmers president, standing beside a sign in the New England region where $3.59 is the price for diesel?

A supply problem isn't a supply problem at the docks. A supply problem isn't a supply problem in the capital cities. You have a supply problem if you can't get the fuel where it's needed. There is no good in having fuel in tanks on the waterfronts if you haven't got fuel in the tanks of the tractors, of the trucks and of all the equipment that drives Australia, makes it great and feeds the people. That's what we're not looking at being sorted. We are looking at a crisis across Australia because this government has said, 'If there's enough fuel in Australia, we don't have a problem,' whether it is able to be accessed and used or not. That's why we have these problems going on and we talk about them. We hear about things from the National Farmers' Federation. I'd like to selectively quote the National Farmers' Federation from what they said at a roundtable. What did the National Farmers' Federation say in its media release? It said:

…reports from its members across Australia show farmers and fishers in regional communities are increasingly struggling to secure fuel, putting food security and animal welfare at risk.

That is what they are saying to the world—not in a private room. They are happy for this to go out under their notice:

NFF President Hamish McIntyre said that increases in demand had put pressure on fuel retailers in regional areas.

"While overall national liquid fuel supplies may remain sound, impacts are being acutely felt in regional communities right now, especially among independent retailers, who rely on the 'spot market' for supplies."

That is the quote. That is what National Farmers say in full—not 'nothing to see here' but 'these are real problems'. That is why we bring them here. To hear representatives of the government standing up and saying that we are stoking fear—I bring up 'hair burners' again. These are real problems. All we are asking for is a way to address these issues, a way to look at things being better.

If you go beyond what's said there, we can go to the New South Wales question, where NSW Farmers have called on Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen to 'immediately act and resolve the bush fuel shortage'. It says:

Across the country, many farmers and the bulk fuel suppliers they rely on are running dry, despite claims from the government that there is no supply problem.

NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said this was an urgent issue that needed to be addressed today.

"What we need the Australian Government to do today is ease the immediate problem of our domestic fuel supply, getting fuel from the terminal to country bulk suppliers, and then on to the farms and towns that depend on it," Mr Martin said.

"There may be fuel coming into Australia, but the government needs to wake up and realise that does not automatically mean it's getting to where it's needed. Fuel sitting in terminals does not fill tanks in rural and regional areas let alone on farms.

That is the reality, and I get phone calls from personal friends that own feedlots and they tell me they only have enough fuel to get the food to those lots for three days—three days if they let them out and if they let them feed on the long paddock and around. Otherwise, they have to either sell or, horribly, get the rifle out and start putting down animals because it is against animal cruelty regulations to allow animals to be there and not eat. That is the reality of what we're talking about.

These are real calls from real people in real situations, not stoking fear but living in their own personal hell. These people who care for their animals, these people who care for their land, cannot see a way out of this. Imagine being that farmer, having a choice of doing whatever you can to find fuel or putting the gun in the back of the truck to go round and put your animals down. That's what we're facing here.