Ellie Whiteaker (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australians are looking at global conflict and the rising price of fuel, and are rightly asking what it means at home. Our government is taking action to keep essential services running and get fuel to where it's needed most. This is just one of the things our government is doing.

This bill, the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026, addresses the impact of fuel price increases on truckies and our road transport industry, because when fuel prices spike those costs hit immediately. But the system that deals with those costs doesn't move at the same pace, so, with that gap, the pressure lands on truck drivers and operators, and it builds very quickly. Fuel is one of the largest operating costs in this sector—if not the largest—and it moves quickly, and we see that flowing into their day-to-day operations.

Fuel prices have increased due to the conflict we are seeing in the Middle East, and everyone in this country is feeling it; we know that. But it is very much felt by those whose jobs and livelihoods depend on fuel every single day—the workers who are moving goods across the country, keeping our shelves stocked and making sure essential supplies reach the communities who need it. Truck drivers and transport operators wear these costs every single day. That industry operates very much through contract chains, with costs that move through those chains—and the ability to manage those costs is not evenly shared. Those at the end have limited capacity to adjust when costs surge, which impacts business viability, affects sustainability and absolutely affects the livelihoods of truckies and their families. We want to make sure that this sector can continue operating while it's under pressure. The current system provides a process to set minimum standards across these chains which includes consultation and timeframes that can extend for many months, which means there's a gap between when the cost increases and when the system can respond. Ultimately, it's a timing issue.

This bill will improve sustainability, fairness and resilience while we see these global fuel challenges. It's about making sure that hardworking truckies and small transport businesses are not pushed to the brink. It amends the Fair Work Act to enable the commission to respond more quickly to contractual chain order applications in time-sensitive circumstances. It allows the minister to determine that an application be determined quickly when it is in the public interest. It essentially allows the system that currently exists to deal with these challenges very quickly when it is necessary and in the public interest. This is an important change that is reflective of the circumstances we find ourselves in. Road transport is essential to keeping goods moving across our country, and it's important that we keep the system working under global pressures. This is about making sure our transport businesses can continue to operate to keep goods moving across the country. We know that, when road transport is disrupted, the impact is felt well beyond the industry itself.

This bill strengthens the system's ability to respond when conditions change. That is the purpose of what we're doing today. This is, of course, part of a broad suite of work our government is undertaking to keep fuel flowing where it is needed; we're introducing new laws to help fuel suppliers bring fuel into Australia from overseas while also keeping more Australian-made fuel here at home, and we're working with the states to get fuel where it is needed most. We are committed to doing this work that is needed to give Australians confidence that, in the midst of this global crisis, they can get the fuel they need, and that's ultimately what this bill is about today—giving the trucking industry the confidence it needs to keep goods moving. I am very pleased to support this bill today.