Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

What the Australian people expect from their government is an ability to answer reasonable questions from the opposition in Senate question time and, in a measured and considered way, outline to the Australian people what they're actually doing. And yet what we've seen from government senators in this take-note period has been simply attacks on the opposition. It's not about the opposition. It's about the Australian people. And the Australian people expect the Australian government, the Labor government, to be focused on the problem at hand.

They accuse us of fearmongering, which is quite far from the truth. We're actually reflecting what our constituents are telling us in the real world. Let me quote from the NSW Farmers president. This is in light of Senator Collins's remarks that farmers are actually sleeping next to their equipment because they're concerned about the theft of diesel. Imagine such a thing. They're sleeping next to their equipment because they're concerned people are so desperate for diesel they're going to come onto their land and steal their diesel. That's the situation on the ground. The Labor government appears to be living in a parallel universe. This is what Mr Xavier Martin of the NSW Farmers' Association said:

Despite the messaging that there is enough supply in the system, this is not the lived experience of many across rural and regional NSW who are facing daily decisions about how to use their remaining supplies.

He said that if farmers can't get diesel they can't plant. It's pretty simple. If you can't get the fuel, you can't plant. They can't harvest, and they can't move food, and that ultimately affects every Australian household. Yet the Labor government and Labor senators, including Minister Ayres, had the gall to accuse us of fearmongering. Go out and listen to your constituents about what's actually happening on the ground.

In my home state of Queensland, the price of petrol in North West Queensland, in Cloncurry, is $2.68 a litre. That isn't diesel; that's petrol. It's $2.68 a litre. Extraordinary. Everyday Australians are making decisions now. They're taking action now with respect to what they're going to do in the face of these increasing fuel prices. As Senator Collins rightly said, a lot of the tourism industry across Australia, including my home state of Queensland, which has a wonderful tourism industry, Senator Collins—a lot of people from New South Wales come to my home state of Queensland, especially during these months—is aghast that people are starting to cancel their holidays. They can't afford to take those road trips. That is what is actually happening on the ground.

We also heard from Senator Cadell with respect to the fact that petrol and oil flow into so many commodities which Australia depends upon. One of those commodities is fertiliser. You don't get fertiliser without gas production. And, unfortunately, given what's happening in the Middle East, in the gulf, there are deep concerns in Queensland amongst Queensland farmers about access to urea—an absolutely key nitrogen fertiliser. They are deeply concerned as to whether or not they're going to have sufficient urea for crops, especially during the winter planting.

I'll give you another example of oil use: bitumen. The Australian Flexible Pavement Association put out a statement on 12 March 2026 saying that Australia is going to face a shortage of bitumen, because you need oil to produce bitumen. So there are issues with respect to both the cost and availability of bitumen for roadworks and construction works. This issue is flowing through the whole economy with respect to all of the commodities that depend upon oil and gas.

In relation to fearmongering, I want to quote from one of the senior executives of the International Energy Agency. This is what he said just today. This isn't a senator and it isn't a politician; this is one of the senior executives from the International Energy Agency. He said we are facing maybe the biggest crisis since the oil crises of 1973 and 1979 and the gas crisis following Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine.

Question agreed to.