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

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Ayres. The government says that it has detailed information showing Australia has strong fuel supplies, but participants in Australia's fishing industry tell us the only diesel they have is what is left in their boats when they get back from sea. Minister, if supplies are so strong, where is the diesel for these fishing boats?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

If it was asked seriously, there wouldn't be the level of interjections that there always is on this subject. Let me just state very, very plainly what the position is in terms of national fuel supplies. Then I will come to the example that Senator Colbeck has raised, which reflects the experience of not just the example that he raised but some parts of regional Australia. At the national level, there is in terms of petrol supplies 1.56 billion litres of petrol on hand here in Australia. Eighty per cent of it is on land and around 20 per cent of it is on the water between refineries and ports within our exclusive economic zone. There's 32 days worth of diesel—2.97 billion litres. Those numbers have not fundamentally changed since the conflict in the Middle East began. That reflects what the petroleum sector and others have been communicating directly with the minister about since the Middle East conflict began—that ship arrivals have happened exactly as expected. We're watching very closely the movements of ships towards Australia, and they are happening in an orderly, predictable way.

That does not mean that there hasn't been some unusual purchasing behaviour in some areas reported to us. I think I'll have to come to it in answer to the supplementary question, Senator Colbeck, which I'm sure will follow the same line of— (Time expired)

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

Senator Colbeck, first supplementary?

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

Minister, I would prefer if you just answered the question. Has the government identified any evidence of hoarding, bottlenecks or supply being held by major suppliers in particular supply chains? If not, why has it failed to work out why fuel is not reaching the Australians who need it?

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

As I was indicating, there has been a spike in purchases. The President of the National Farmers' Federation said: 'There has been an increasing demand, around 40 per cent, right across the nation.' That's his words. He said, 'Everyone across the economy is forward buying more than they usually do.' Peter Jones, the CEO of the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce, said: 'What I would say is that there is plenty of fuel in the country; the issue is demand—

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

President, I raise a point of order on direct relevance. My question goes to this particular cohort who are wanting to understand where the fuel that the government says is in the country actually is. The simple question is: where is it and why isn't it making it through the supply chain?

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

The minister is being directly relevant. You asked the minister about bottlenecks, hoarding and supply chains, so I think he is being directly relevant to your question.

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

I'm talking precisely, Senator Colbeck, in evidentiary terms, on what it is that industry, people who are engaged in driving trucks, people in the fishing industry and people who are supplying petroleum are saying. Spikes in demand have created some constraints in some regional parts of Australia. Overall, in fuel security terms, we are stronger than we have been for 15 years.

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

Senator Colbeck, second supplementary?

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

Given that the fishing industry weren't even invited to the round table, I'm not sure he understands what the fishing industry thinks. Minister, if the fuel stocks are as strong as the government claims, what has the government told suppliers to do to get that fuel to fishing boats, service stations, farmers and regional communities immediately?

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

One of the things that we had a good discussion about was Minister Bowen undertaking to make sure that the kind of information that I have relayed to you, which is released on a quarterly basis by the Australian government, and that we have been relaying to you on a daily basis will be released in a public way every week so that industry can see in a completely transparent way what is going on in supply terms. That ought to be useful in terms of how purchasing behaviour is shaped over the coming weeks and months. I hope this crisis ends tomorrow. It may continue for some weeks or months. We are going to have to manage these issues in a careful way. Industry has undertaken to make sure that they are communicating effectively with the community, and we will work together as Australians—farmers, fertiliser, fishing, fuel, everybody together—to get the right national outcome.