David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

One message coming through loud and clear from people here in Canberra that I represent, communities across the country and stakeholders representing them is that there's an expectation that our governments do far more in the face of the current crisis. Yes, a 26c per litre cut to the fuel excise makes a great headline, but are we actually going to see that flow through to people at the bowser? We've got politicians who get a car from the Commonwealth and get a fuel card telling people that, on Wednesday, they're going to see a reduction in fuel prices. That's not what the fuel retailers are saying. They're saying it will take quite a while for that to flow through. Is it a good headline? Yes, every cent counts, but I don't think this really cuts it in terms of our response.

People were expecting far more out of yesterday's National Cabinet. If we're going to spend $2.5 billion, surely it should be more targeted, and we need to be looking at all options. We need measures that are targeted to people who need it the most in our communities. Every time you talk about this thing, people talk about the cost. We could implement a 25 per cent tax on gas exports tomorrow, and start to bring in funds for things like immediate funding for food banks nationwide—they're asking for $5 million in surge funding—free public transport for pensioners and those on fixed incomes and discounted public transport, so we could actually save fuel where we can in the cities for regional areas. We could see immediate increases in the base rate of safety net payments and things like Commonwealth rent assistance. We could be doing more when it comes to price gouging. People know that simply doubling the fines on something that's very hard to get petrol stations on is just signalling. We can actually address the root cause of the challenges we're facing.