Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Choice in Childcare and Early Learning) Share this | Hansard source

Two weeks ago, when we were last here, the opposition was accused of spreading misinformation about an impending fuel shortage crisis. Australian eyes do not lie; they have seen fuel shortages across the country. Following our call to action, the Prime Minister convened National Cabinet and declared that it is a different world. But it's not a different Labor government. It remains slow to act and quick to deflect, and this crisis has been overseen by an energy minister who is way out of his depth.

Australians are not mugs. They know that this country holds only 30 days of fuel reserves, and they remember an energy minister who sought to blame consumers for shortages. Now we see further pressure with the Yara Pilbara ammonia and ammonium nitrate plants shut down for at least two months following the catastrophic damage caused by a power failure. Ammonia is critical to fertiliser production for agriculture and explosives for the resources sector. Disruptions of this scale flow directly to food security and to the viability of our mining industry.

At a time like this, Australians expect focus. Instead, we've seen ministers such as the resources minister overseas talking renewables while critical domestic supply chains are under strain. This reflects poor planning and a steady erosion of our industrial capacity. Australians see confusion, mixed messages and a government focused on their green dream rather than building the resilience that our country needs. When a crisis comes, the lack of resilience is exposed.