Jessica Collins (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Ayres. Yesterday, the minister assured the Senate that Australia has:

… in terms of petrol supplies 1.56 billion litres of petrol on hand here in Australia. Eighty per cent of it is on land and around 20 per cent of it is on the water between refineries and ports within our exclusive economic zone. There's 32 days worth of diesel—2.97 billion litres.

This will no doubt come as great comfort to the fishermen who can't fill their boats, the farmers who can't run their machinery and the service stations across regional Australia that have been forced to ration fuel or shut off bowsers. Minister, since the fuel is apparently here—all 2.97 billion litres of it—where exactly is it, and why is it not reaching the Australians who need it to work and feed this country?