Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

Australians will pay less for fuel, and they will pay less because the coalition led, and the government followed. When the fuel crisis emerged, it was the coalition that stepped up with a responsible plan to halve the fuel excise, seeking timely, temporary relief for Australians. The government—well, it delayed. After four weeks of denial and indecision, it was right to finally see the government come up with a national security plan. Better late than never—but the delay has had real consequences for real people.

We support the Treasury Laws Amendment (Fuel Excise Relief) Bill 2026 because Australians need immediate relief. Families and small businesses are under genuine pressure, and reducing costs at the bowser will make a meaningful difference, particularly ahead of Easter, when families are travelling and budgets are already stretched. Tradies, transport operators and small-business owners will see direct cost relief, and that of course is welcome. But let's not pretend this moment arrived without a fight. The coalition proposed this earlier. We put forward a responsible plan—one that included offsets, to avoid pouring fuel on an inflation fire. The government dragged its feet, and, in the meantime, the crisis deepened. This legislation, however, we welcome.

Nowhere has the crisis been more acute than in South Australia, where fuel is the most expensive in the nation. In the APY Lands, in remote South Australia, fuel costs are approaching $4 a litre for diesel, and they expect that will hit $4.50. Too little, too late means they are looking at shutting off bowsers within a week, not to conserve fuel for vehicles but to preserve what little remains for generators and essential transport. That is the reality on the ground that this government has been too slow to act on—too slow to even appreciate that it was real.

South Australia is already carrying the weight of record insolvencies under state and federal Labor governments. Families and businesses? Well, they've been doing it tough, with some of the highest electricity bills in the country in South Australia.

The government does not seem to understand that this crisis—the one it denied for nearly five weeks—is about global supply chains, costs and in-country logistics. This means it is all about access, even though Labor spent weeks arguing this was not an access issue. It's all about access when the bowser is dry. It is all about access when the price is too high and consumers simply can't afford it.

It is good that the government has finally done something rather than just talk about itself and blame others for the pain. I paid $3 a litre on Saturday, and on Sunday it was $3 25. If these prices continue to go up, a 26c-a-litre rebate just won't help. It will be worthless almost before it is provided.

What is guaranteed, though, is that, with no offsets offered, this is a plan to fuel inflation. It won't provide the fuel for farmers or for families. Within 24 hours of the announcement, the government's proposed GST arrangements had already fallen into disarray, raising serious questions about the fiscal credibility and coordination at the highest levels of government. That is on Labor.

As a government, it wants to blame everyone else. First, consumers were using too much fuel. This week, they're buying too many jerry cans to put the fuel into—again, suggesting it is consumers that are doing the wrong thing. The PM told Australians that Bunnings was out of jerry cans, but Bunnings itself came out and said, 'That claim is wrong, and, worse, it could trigger panic buying.' Seriously, if it weren't so serious, it could make an entertaining script. But none of this is funny. It's not funny for doctors. It's not funny for tourists. It's not funny for families trying to plan for Easter. None of this is funny.

The fuel security plan the government has finally released is light on detail. There are no quantifiable trigger points, there is no clarity on specifically what will happen next, and, critically, the Prime Minister has still not ruled out heavy-handed mandates. There is also no exit strategy. It's a temporary measure, but there is no clarity on what replaces it. What businesses and households need right now, in this economic crisis—which existed before the fuel crisis—is certainty. Australians are asking a very simple question: why is the Prime Minister always the last to lead out of a crisis? (Time expired)