Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

This is an important piece of legislation that is urgent and in the interests of Australians, particularly Australians who rely upon diesel and particularly Australians who rely upon petrol and Australians who rely upon jet fuel and fertiliser. As with every other issue, when it comes to issues that actually matter for Australian supply chains, you'll find that the old right-wing uni-party—One Nation, the Liberals and the National Party, or what's left of them—are in complete accord, because the anger and hate that drives these parties together is their primary motivation. They're angry people. They're not interested in the Australian national interest; they're just interested in anger politics.

That is the decline of conservative politics in Australia. That's what has happened, and it leads them to opposing bills like this. Senator Whitten and Senator Canavan and all the other Liberals suddenly say—as all Liberals always do—that there's not a role for government in dealing with these challenges. Well, it's been government that has insulated Australia here, as best as any government could, from what is the biggest energy shock in our history. It's been government, this Albanese government, that has enhanced our reputation internationally and in our region in a way that gives us credibility to be able to secure shiploads of additional diesel, shiploads of additional petroleum products and jet fuel—something previous governments could never do. I remember the previous prime minister talking about 'negative globalism', sounding like just another One Nation senator, with all the same stuff, all the kooky stuff, which diminished Australia in the region.

Those guys—they are almost all guys—could never have delivered what the Albanese government has done here. Some of you are still in a paroxysm of rage about what happened in 2022 let alone what happened in 2025. It's meant you've lost the capacity for reason and the capacity to act in the national interest. One of the key things that needed to be done in a market that is established to drive the maximum competitive outcome in the way that we deal with petroleum products, particularly diesel—when there is a shock internationally, it jams up. Some of that was evidenced in what happened in regional Australia for a few weeks. While you lot were telling people to hoard diesel, we were in ports and in refineries around the world dealing with the actual practical challenges, not being complacent, smug, partisan, self-interested, anti-Australian forces in our political system. We were just acting for Australia. We didn't get distracted by the ideology and the social media memes.

I want to thank people who've contributed to this debate. Schedule 1 establishes new powers for the Treasurer and ACCC to enable coordinated action during crises. Where exceptional circumstances threaten harm to the economy, businesses or consumers, the Treasurer may make a declaration. The ACCC can then use streamlined powers to grant authorisations or class exemptions, allowing businesses to coordinate in support of the government's response, which is a pretty good thing, I reckon. These reforms ensure faster, more effective action in crisis situations and make it easier for businesses to assist in the national interest, to work together as Australians in the national interest—a foreign concept, I know, to the One Nation-Liberal-National right-wing uniparty over there. I note in relation to schedule 1, the government will support amendment 3804 moved by Senator McKim.

Schedule 2 to the bill provides further protections against unfair and unlawful conduct by fuel companies. It will align maximum penalties in the Oil Code of Conduct with other industry codes to provide a real disincentive to fuel companies who disregard their obligations and benefit from the current conflict in the Middle East. This is a very sensible, very straightforward proposition. You could go into any shopping centre, pub or main street in any country town in Australia, and Australians would expect the government to act in this kind of way, requiring high standards from Australian companies by getting them to work together in the national interest when there is a shock like the one the world is experiencing now. That's what they would expect.

But you've got One Nation, the Liberals and the Nationals in a conspiracy to deprive government and Australians of the tools they need to act, which is to secure more fuel, to make sure it gets to where it needs to go, to support farmers and to support country families and communities in doing what they need to do to keep Australia moving, to make sure that, despite high prices, we're doing what we can in areas like fertiliser to make sure as much gets planted as can possibly get planted and that we get diesel to where it needs to get to. The kind of ideology that would see this being held up so that it couldn't be dealt with in a parliamentary session until June is the most self-obsessed, unreal, ideological, un-Australian kind of proposition that you could possibly muster.

There's a pool of reflection out there. Some of you ought to go and have a look. Have a look in the mirror and a bit of self-reflection on what your actual job is here. It is not in the interests of worrying about what overseas extremists might say but actually in the interests of what country communities, country towns, Australian industry and Australian farmers need from government and how to support Australian firms to continue in that work. We won't be out there finger-pointing in an energy shock. We will be working here in Australia and with partners overseas to make sure Australia gets what it needs.