Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to oppose this urgency motion and to call it for what it is. It is not, in fact, grounded in any fact. It is fearmongering dressed up as urgency. Let's get this absolutely straight. What we are seeing are localised disruptions caused by spikes in demand, not a failure of supply. Petrol companies have confirmed their fuel is continuing to arrive in the quantities expected. We have the supply that we need. Australians are following the events in the Middle East and are seeing and feeling the real consequences here at home. The longer that conflict continues, the more pressure that will place on the global economy and, especially, on household budgets here in Australia.

But I also want to be crystal clear. This is a global challenge. It is not a failure of domestic supply. People are being told there's a shortage, so they rush out, fill up, top up and stockpile. In some places, a month's worth of fuel has been sold in just a few days. That is not normal behaviour. That is panic buying. We saw this during COVID. The supply of toilet paper did not just disappear, but everyone buying it at once creates that massive disruption. Like we experienced during COVID, there is no need to stockpile. We should all be taking only what we need so no-one has to go without. Here's the uncomfortable truth for those opposite. When you push claims of shortages that don't exist, you are contributing to that very disruption you are complaining about. That is reckless, and it's regional Australians, farmers and small businesses who feel it first.

Let's actually deal with what the government is doing. We are making sure that fuel keeps moving to where it's needed most. We have released fuel from our reserves, including boosting supply by releasing 20 per cent of baseline stockholdings. We are keeping more fuel here in Australia and temporarily amending the fuel standards so we can get fuel into the market faster. We are working with industry and with states and territories to ensure that supply reaches our regional communities. Following National Cabinet, we have established a Fuel Supply Taskforce led by Anthea Harris to coordinate across governments and industry. This taskforce will drive coordination, provide national oversight of supply and distribution and ensure that fuel is directed to where the demand is highest.

Across the board, this government is taking practical steps to shield Australians from that global uncertainty, and I want to be clear. It is about fuel security. Under this government, fuel is actually held here in Australia, not overseas, not 14,000 kilometres away in Texas. We are above our minimum stockholding obligations with weeks of supply across petrol, diesel and jet fuel. Compare that to those opposite. They closed refineries, they failed to act on stockholding and they stored Australia's fuel overseas. They are the ones that left Australia exposed, and we fixed that.

Now on prices—Australians are concerned when they see prices spike. We've heard about that, and that's understandable. This is an international crisis, not a commercial opportunity. There is no excuse for petrol companies increasing profits at the expense of Australians. That is why we have empowered the ACCC to protect motorists from unfair price rises and why we are increasing penalties for misconduct. Australians should not be treated like mugs at the bowser. Let's be honest. Global instability flows through to the pump, and that is the reality. What matters here at home is how we respond. We are securing supply, we are coordinating nationally and we are enforcing the rules. We are also supporting Australians with cost of living, free health care, tax cuts, cheaper child care, more bulk-billing, urgent care clinics and cheaper medicines, and that's the practical support at this time of global uncertainty.

So let's be clear about this motion. It ignores the absolute facts, it ignores the supply that exists and it ignores the action being taken. And, worse, it risks fuelling panic, which is exactly what's putting pressure on supply. There is enough fuel. Supply is continuing. What Australians need right now is calm, clear information and responsible leadership, not reckless political scare campaigns from those opposite.