Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath has submitted a proposal, under standing order 75, today. It's been circulated and is shown on the Dynamic Red:

The need for the Albanese Labor Government to take responsibility for Australia's fuel security issues and outline the actions being taken to ensure adequate fuel supplies instead of blaming others

Is consideration of the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

With the concurrence of the Senate, the clerks will set the clock in line with the informal arrangements made by the whips.

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator McGrath, I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The need for the Albanese Labor Government to take responsibility for Australia's fuel security issues and outline the actions being taken to ensure adequate fuel supplies instead of blaming others

Australians in regional Australia in particular—but also those serving our regional communities and our fishing communities—have been unable to access fuel. The government tell us that we have got plenty of fuel in the country. I'm not going to dispute that. They've made that point. They've put the numbers on the table. Not all of it's in the country, if my understanding from question time today is correct, because 20 per cent of it is still on the water, but they're assuring us that we have plenty of supply.

The question that I would ask is, 'Where is it?' because it's certainly not available for communities around the country. I've spoken to friends in the fishing community in South Australia and Queensland. They can't get access to fuel. If they can't get access to fuel, they can't go out and earn a living. We've heard of farmers in farming communities who are about to harvest their crops, and they can't access the fuel.

This motion calls for the government to actually take responsibility for the fuel security issues and outline the real actions that they're taking to deal with the issue. Now, it is a difficult issue and, as the ministers have said in question time and in public over the last couple of days, there are people who are buying up fuel. I will join them and everyone else in urging people to try and act responsibly and buy in a normal way. But there are things that the government can do, and we know those things are in place, because we put them in place. We legislated for particular actions to be taken, and we put in place the frameworks for the Australian community to understand what the actual supply is. The problem is that the government hasn't been using that toolkit. The information that provides details of what the current supply is hasn't been updated since December last year. The framework was put in place at a previous time of fuel shortage so that people could understand where the fuel supplies were and so that we could work with the petroleum companies, the refiners and all of those in the community to make sure that the distribution network was working as it should be.

I asked the minister today if he was aware of any circumstances where there was hoarding within the supply chain. He wouldn't or couldn't answer that question. He did admit that there were some bottlenecks, but the question that I would ask in response to that is: what is the government doing to deal with the bottlenecks? Yes, it's a difficult situation, but the government's role is to work with industry and coordinate the process so that supply can get to where it's needed, particularly to rural and regional Australia, where the shortfall in supply is actually driving another problem, which is price.

The government haven't put on the table any demonstration of what they're actually doing to facilitate the flow of all that fuel that they say we have. 'We've got plenty of fuel' is the line they run, and it's the public's fault for being concerned and wanting to buy it. But what are they doing? What are the government doing, using the toolkit that we know is in place, to inform the community about supplies? The website has not been updated since December last year, which is absurd. We had a roundtable, and all we do is talk about problems. But we're not talking about what the government are doing, using their toolkit, to make sure fuel is getting to where it needs to be. We've got all this fuel, but where is it, and how do we get it to where it needs to be? (Time expired)

Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stand to speak on this urgency motion. The previous contributor talked about what he thought the government's role is. Well, I can tell you what the role of the opposition is, and that is not to spread misinformation, which is what this has been about here today.

We understand that people are seeing global uncertainty and feeling worried about it at home, so let's start with the most important fact. Australia has the fuel it needs. Our national fuel stocks are above our minimum domestic fuel security obligations, and those stocks are held here in Australia. Fuel shipments continue to arrive in the country in the quantities expected. There is no national shortage of fuel. What we're seeing instead is something different. We are seeing uncertainty in global markets, and we are seeing spikes in demand in parts of Australia as some people buy more fuel than they normally would. We've seen that, and we heard it earlier today. Industry groups across the country are saying the same thing: calm heads are needed. It's not just government; it's industry groups, those on the ground listening to people in certain sectors.

If Australians continue to purchase fuel as they normally do, there will be enough supply for everyone. That's the reality. But, instead of helping calm the situation, the coalition have brought on an urgency motion in this chamber today. That says something about their priorities. In moments of global uncertainty, Australians expect leadership that reassures people and focuses on the facts—not political theatre or the spread of misinformation.

If we're going to talk honestly about fuel security in Australia, we need to talk about how we got here. Under the former government, Australian taxpayers were even paying to store emergency oil reserves in the United States—not in Australia but in the United States. The Labor government has changed that approach and has made sure that fuel security means fuel stored here in Australia, where Australians can actually access it when it is needed.

So again I say: let's talk about the facts. Australia's fuel position today is strong. On average, Australia currently has more fuel in storage than at any time over the last 15 years. We are meeting our minimum petrol stockholding obligations, and fuel shipments continue to arrive in Australia on time and in the quantities expected. I'm going to say that again. Fuel shipments continue to arrive in Australia on time and in the quantities expected. Those are the facts. That does not mean the government is complacent—far from it. We know that global instability can create pressure in supply chains, particularly in regional Australia and particularly for farmers and transport operators, and that's why the government has acted.

We have brought together fuel suppliers, fertiliser companies and agricultural peak bodies to work together on managing emerging pressures in the supply chain. We're also regularly convening the National Oil Supplies Emergency Committee, bringing together the Commonwealth, states and territories, so the country remains ready to respond quickly if conditions change. That is what responsible government looks like—not panic and not politics, but practical action. The government has also been clear about something else: this is an international crisis. It is not a commercial opportunity. Fuel companies have been told that cooperation is critical to keeping Australian transport moving and farmers growing. So I ask the opposition to stop spreading misinformation. (Time expired)

Sean Bell (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians are being told by the Albanese Labor government that fuel supplies are solid, and Minister Bowen is going on television and telling people fuel stocks are strong. Australians are entitled, then, to ask a very simple question: if that is true, then where is the fuel—why can people not get the fuel they need for their families, their farms and their businesses? That is the question millions of Aussies are asking, because the reality on the ground is not matched by Labor's talking points.

People from all over New South Wales are contacting my office and telling me the local servo's run dry. Farmers are telling me they cannot get enough diesel to keep their machinery moving and get their crops in the ground. I'm being told truckies are being smashed with soaring costs, which are passed through the whole economy, and independent service stations are being left exposed, trying to survive while supplies tighten and prices surge. That is the difference between the talking points we're getting from the Labor government and real life—the reality on the ground. The government is saying that the national fuel position is secure and Minister Bowen is saying supplies remain secure, but regional service stations and distributors are clearly facing serious strain in getting fuel to where it is actually needed.

Reports this week have pointed to regional demand surges, patchy supply and diesel prices surging well above $2.50 per litre in some areas. That is a crisis. That is a real issue. Australians do not live on a page of Labor talking points. They live in towns, on farms, in regional communities and in outer suburbs. They need fuel to work, to harvest, to transport goods and to keep small businesses alive. If the fuel is supposedly here but it's not reaching the bowser, not reaching the paddocks and not reaching the truck yards, then the government has a serious leadership problem on its hands, and this doesn't just stop with fuel. Higher fuel costs feed into everything. With the price of diesel and petrol rising, freight costs rise. When freight costs rise, food prices rise. When transport costs rise, small-business costs rise and Australians end up paying more at the checkout, and then we're dealing with inflation. This is how weak leadership on energy and fuel security turns into higher inflation across the economy.

Labor's fuel price shocks are adding more pressure to household budgets. This is not just about inconvenience, and this is not misinformation; this is about the real economic pressure that is hammering Australian households and Australian businesses. It's about food prices, it's about the cost of living and it's about whether the Albanese Labor government had actually planned for this. I don't think they had. I think they failed to manage foreseeable risk, and I believe they are misleading Australians about the system failures that have led to this cost-of-living crisis, again, under the Albanese Labor government.

What we are seeing is a failure of leadership—a failure of Labor ministers to take responsibility for their failure in preparation—and, instead of action and honest answers, we are getting talking points and lies. Instead of a serious national focus on fuel security, we are getting excuses. Australians are more vulnerable than we should be because we've allowed ourselves to become too dependent on imported fuel and too exposed to overseas affairs. Because of these net zero policies of the Albanese Labor government, we can no longer refine the fuel we need in our own country. We are no longer self-sufficient when it comes to fuel, and that is a matter of leadership. That is a failure of policy.

The Albanese government, Minister Bowen and those on the other side, need to stop relying on talking points. They need to stop accusing—frankly, it is quite disappointing to hear them say that the people calling my office, the farmers and families calling my office, are spreading misinformation, because, when Australians are calling me and saying, 'We cannot get the fuel we need,' I believe them. I don't believe it's misinformation. I believe those Australians who are contacting my office are telling the truth, because empty bowsers, rising costs, forgotten farmers and bankrupt businesses—that's not misinformation. They are trying to warn you. They are begging for your help, and you are failing to listen. Until you start to listen, Australians will keep paying more and getting less. (Time expired)

Slade Brockman (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a matter of urgency, no matter what those opposite want to try and portray. The coalition are responding to the many hundreds or thousands of calls to our individual electorate offices and to us directly from people right across Australia, highlighting their concerns. Let's accept for the moment what the government says—that there is sufficient fuel within the Australian system. I'm willing to accept that. But there is also, clearly—and the government should acknowledge this—a severe maldistribution problem.

This is not simply a few people in cities going to Bunnings, buying jerry cans and filling them up. That does not account for the fact that Wandering, Corrigin, Katanning and so many more country towns across Western Australia, let alone the hundreds of centres in the eastern states and South Australia, are low on if not out of fuel. It does not account for the fact that major distributors are telling me directly and via their customers that they have zero allocations from the port terminals. Again, I'm happy to accept the government's claim that there is sufficient fuel in Australia, but the government must address this maldistribution issue.

While they're at it, they must also answer for their lack of action. This is not something that happened in the last 48 hours. Here's an article from Bloomberg from six days ago. I will quote from this article. 'While China is not the region's largest exporter'—talking about South-East Asia—'its sudden withdrawal from the international market is expected to tighten global supplies further.' So this article is talking about how China has ordered its top refineries to halt diesel and gasoline exports to the world. This article goes on to say, 'The directive follows similar moves'—so prior to six days ago—'from refiners in Japan and Thailand, who have also been curbing exports to safeguard their own domestic stocks.'

Let's add to that picture. Malaysia's PRefChem has shut down a crude refinery unit. We've got the Singapore refinery cutting its runs at its Jurong site. This is a major export refinery that supplies directly to Australia, currently producing, apparently, around 60 per cent of capacity. We have another Jurong refinery in Singapore again operating below capacity. So we have plenty of evidence that has been on the public record not just for 48 hours, not since the beginning of the week, not since question time started this week, but since last week, showing that the world's supply chains for refined petroleum are under severe pressure.

Then you combine that with the maldistribution issue that is clearly impacting Australia. Again, we are hearing from those country towns right across Australia that have little or no petrol availability in their country towns. We're hearing from farmers who have a few days worth of diesel left on farm and are being told they're just going to have to wait for the next supply. Who knows when it will come. People are rightly very concerned, and to say that this is somehow the opposition's fault just beggars belief. Does this government seriously think that it can get away with pointing the finger across the chamber and blaming us, when they are in control of the Treasury benches and when they are the ones who hold the levers of power—levers of power, by the way, that a coalition government put in place and that Labor is now claiming credit for? This is an urgent issue. It's a serious issue, and the government and the minister need to show like they understand that. (Time expired)

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

Australians are understandably watching events around the world and feeling worried about what that might mean here at home. When people see global conflict and volatility in energy markets, it's natural to ask whether Australians will have the fuel they need. But we should be clear about the facts. I've come to expect fearmongering and misinformation for political gain from One Nation and sometimes from the Greens political party, but to get it from the alternative government, from the Liberals and the Nationals, who, when they were in government, frankly, had a pretty poor record on fuel security—to use, I think, Senator Brockman's words—just beggars belief.

The facts are that we are above our minimum domestic fuel-stockholding obligations, and those stocks are physically stored here in Australia. Fuel companies have confirmed that shipments continue to arrive on time and in the quantities expected. There is no evidence that Australia is facing a national fuel shortage. What we are seeing are localised disruptions caused by sudden spikes in demand, and we do take those reports seriously. I've heard from regional communities in my home state of Western Australia. But I think it's really important that we don't use international conflicts—what are really scary times for many Australians—to stoke fear in the community for political gain.

What we've seen in recent days is people buying more fuel than they usually would because they are afraid, and, yes, we do blame the opposition for some of that, and they should take responsibility for the narrative that they're pushing both in this place and in the media. They should absolutely take some responsibility for that, because we are all leaders in this country and we all have a responsibility to do the right thing by the Australian people and not to continue to make people feel afraid in circumstances where they do not need to. We've seen jerry cans selling out in some areas and fuel containers appearing for resale online at jacked up prices. This kind of behaviour has placed unnecessary pressure on supply chains that are otherwise functioning normally. Our message to Australians is there is no need to panic buy or to stockpile. We have the fuel that we need here in the country and coming to the country as supply chains would normally operate. We have enough fuel for everyone if people simply purchase what they need and use it as they normally would.

Industry groups agree. Across the country, they have been very clear and consistent about this. The National Farmers' Federation, the NRMA, local service stations and transport operators have all urged Australians to remain calm and avoid stockpiling fuel. They've made it clear that the issue is not supply but demand being driven by uncertainty—uncertainty that those opposite are using as an opportunity to make Australians afraid.

Our government is actively working with industry to manage these pressures and ensure supply chains move where they are needed. We're maintaining daily engagement with fuel suppliers and wholesalers. The minister has brought together fuel suppliers, fertiliser companies and agricultural peaks at a national roundtable to coordinate supply and respond quickly to emerging pressures in the supply chain. The National Oil Supplies Emergency Committee has already met to assess the situation and ensure that all states and territories are ready to respond should conditions change.

The truth is Australia is in a stronger position today than it was on any day under the former coalition government. Our government took action to strengthen Australia's fuel security. We implemented the minimum stockholding obligation—those opposite did not—to ensure fuel importers and refiners hold minimum amounts of petrol, diesel and jet fuel in Australia, which means it is stored here, not overseas like it was under those opposite, so Australians can access fuel when they need it.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Whiteaker. Senator McDonald, I'll take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate. You have the call.

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Acting Deputy President. This afternoon has caused me grave concerns about the quality of representation in this parliament. We have heard the most bizarre comments. We have heard that there's not a problem, that there's plenty of fuel and that the government is managing it, when there are signs at the Brisbane fuel terminal right now that say, 'Independents, do not enter.' They're the very fuel companies that supply regional northern New South Wales and regional South-East Queensland. These are the places that are seeing ships, the shipping fleet, unable to go out and catch fish, because there are no deliveries of fuel for their boats.

This is the same government that says that there's no problem for farmers who are trying to harvest but can't get fuel for their tractors and headers. This is the same government that says there is not a problem when there are feedlots that cannot get fuel in order to supply food to the cattle and are talking about shooting them. This is the same government that says there is no problem when they are rationing fuel into mining regions right now. This is the same government that says that it wasn't their responsibility to take action last week when it became apparent that there was going to be a problem with supply and that Australians were rushing down to petrol stations to fill up their cars and make sure that they had enough.

Last week, when the resources minister and the infrastructure minister got up and said prices were stable—well, that's not true. Prices are up by at least 60c a litre in parts of Queensland, where I'm from. This is the same government that said, 'Supply's not a problem.' In fact, members of the government are still repeating this rubbish today. They're saying that there's never been more fuel in Australia. Well, that doesn't help the people who can't get it, does it! If it is locked up in places where Australians can't get it, they can't go and get fish, they can't harvest their crops, they're having to shoot their stock and mining companies have to cut back on their workforce and activity. It doesn't matter what lies and fabrications—I'm sorry, Acting Deputy President. I withdraw 'lies'.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, I will ask you to withdraw those comments.

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did just say I would withdraw that. I apologise.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator.

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This government is completely fabricating the truth by saying that there is plenty of fuel when there obviously is not.

And it wasn't the opposition that started this. You all should personally know that you would have got phone calls from your families, from your neighbours, from small businesses, saying, 'Should I go and fill up with fuel?' We knew there was a problem last week.

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

They live in a bubble.

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They live in a bubble. If you are coming to Canberra, I think you've got no idea of what is going on. There are service stations around Queensland where fuel has jumped by 40c to 60c a litre. Small trucking businesses that supply around the state and around the country, including those that move food back into the capital cities, are going broke. They can't pay these bills. We can't have a flood recovery effort without fuel. In fact, we can't have the repairs and maintenance done on roads in regional Australia without absorbing these massive increases in fuel costs. And guess who pays? Well, the taxpayer pays and the regional community gets nothing.

We know what's happening in the Middle East. This was not something that a reasonable person could not have foreseen. But to have the government continually gaslight Australians and say there's no problem is bizarre. What sort of representatives of people are you if you're not hearing their desperation? We know that this government has added a brave new tax, the safeguard mechanism, to our Australian refiners. We know that this government has added additional costs to those people who generate energy and fuel in this country. And who is going to pay for it? Well, it is Australians—everyday mums and dads who want to get to work or have a small business and who want to know that they can rely on the basics to get around and to run their business. Instead the government's telling them there's not a problem. Well, wake up and smell the roses, because there is a huge problem right across Australia. Australians are screaming for help. They're calling for their representatives to get up and listen to them.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the urgency motion standing in the name of Senator McGrath, as moved by Senator Colbeck, be agreed to.