Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by opposition senators today.

Today, we heard so many things about what's going on with fuel in Australia. What started out as a right-wing conspiracy is now a full-blown national crisis, according to the government. What we're seeing is the evolution of denial—it's almost the stages of grief, isn't it, that you go through as a government? You go through denial. You go through negotiation. We're almost getting to acceptance now, where we accept it's a national crisis. That's where we're almost at. We've heard so many things today. There's acceptance that our farmers aren't out there getting the diesel they need to crop and to look after their animals.

When I was taking note in the last sitting week, I raised the plight of a feedlot supplier that was not able to get food for his animals and was contemplating having to put them down rather than fall foul of animal cruelty laws, except he was finally able to get some via a much more expensive contract. But we still don't see the understanding here. We don't see the understanding of what really makes regional areas tick. We've seen a water tsar put in charge of the fuel crisis, and we all know that fuel and water do not mix. You can't have a climate scientist fixing the fuel supplies of the country, because you need a logistics person. You need to get it from the tanks to the people. That's the important bit.

When we talk about the Iran war or the Ukraine gas stuff—we don't have Putin's people, or we don't have Iranians, on the Hume Highway stopping the fuel getting from the tanks to the farmers. It is about logistical supply, and this government is not understanding what's going wrong. They don't even understand the lengths of it. We heard there's great supply and that we have a hundred million litres per month of high-sulphur fuel that can go out there. It was petrol, not diesel, and apart from one very bad mistake I made in my Ford Everest that cost me $1,200 I know the difference between fuel and petrol.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You didn't.

Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I did. This is the difference: you can't fill the tractors of this country and you can't fill the trucks of the country on petrol. Everyone says a hundred million litres is a lot. No, it is less than one litre per person per week. That is the answer of this government to the fuel crisis: one litre per person per week of petrol, not diesel.

Then we hear about urea. We hear about what's going on out there in the world, and we hear about the farmers that won't plant crops and the farmers that won't be able to fertilise crops. They can't plant them, because they haven't got the diesel. They can't fertilise them, because they haven't got the urea. They can't harvest them, again, because they haven't got the diesel, and then they can't get them to markets. But it's not a problem to this government. Every part of this will go. In six months time, when people are having trouble putting food on the table or it's way more expensive, it will be because of what is not happening now. We are not getting logistics out, we're not getting the food planted, and we are making poor decisions because we never accepted this was a problem months ago.

It's not just food. Today, I'm hearing that poly pipe in the construction industry, the big coils of pipe that are used to make things, comes from fuel and oil. Did you know—I didn't know this, Deputy President—that one-third of the glue that makes kitchens and plyboard for housing construction uses urea. So the biggest constructor of kitchens in the country has three weeks supply, or no more kitchens, no more boards, no more construction and no more housing. So, when we're bringing a thousand people a day into the country, there'll be nowhere to put them because we can't build the homes they need—just as we haven't in the past. This government is failing on every level in this crisis: failure to accept it, failure to deal with it and failure to have plans to fix the consequences of it. It isn't hard to put some things in place.

You don't sit around a table and talk this problem out of existence. You don't blame others for not getting the fuel from the tanks to the users. You don't stand there in front of boards and say, 'The ACCC will fix that.' I've been involved in three actions with the ACCC in courts, and they have lost every single one. But you are putting all your faith in them, and it is not good enough. So let's get real. Let's get the logistics working. Let's get the fuel out there. We're hearing six ships have been turned back or cancelled. There are reports now that potentially eight more have been turned back. Just in the last hour, we're hearing that. We are at the end of the tether. We have, for so long, taken it for granted that Australia will be a beneficial at the end of this.

You cannot have sovereignty of your decision-making unless you have food security, fuel security and economic security. The decisions you're making are stripping Australia of its sovereignty, because we are at the behest of everyone else in the world. And we deserve better.

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to also take note of answers to questions during question time. What I will say is that Australians are taking notice of, and are following, the events in the Middle East. Senator Wong today, in question time, had questions directed at her—as had Minister Ayres—in relation to what we are seeing and feeling: the consequences, right here, at home, for Australians. But the first question from Senator Cash, as the Leader of the Opposition here in the Senate, to Senator Ayres, around fuel security, was from exactly that hyperpartisan position that those opposite have taken.

I know it's difficult to sit through the constant conversations around those four of six refineries that were closed by those in opposition. We are now seeing those consequences; we are feeling them here at home.

The longer that conflict goes on in the Middle East, the more significant the impact will be on the global economy, and particularly on Australia's economy. That is the fact, and that is what, on both sides of this chamber, people should stick to—not following the tail that wags the dog over there, for the Liberal Party, after this weekend's disastrous results that you saw in South Australia. Let's see you guys think for yourselves over there, or join the uniparty down the end there—the new folks who've made their appearance today—asking those sorts of questions.

But we, our government, are looking at the very, very practical measures that are required for our nation to be shielded from some of the issues. Our household budgets are being affected because of some of the worst global uncertainty that we've seen in some time. We are working to ensure that our farmers and our regional communities and services—and all Australians—can rely on these services to access the fuel that they need. That is the work of the government, and it is the work that we are continuing to do. So, across the board, we have been working through, and planning for, the impacts of what we see in this crisis, and protecting Australians from some of the worst of these global challenges. We have empowered the ACCC to protect motorists from unfair price rises and price-gouging. That is the reality of the work that we are doing. We have boosted fuel supply by releasing 20 per cent of the baseline minimum stockholding obligation for both petrol and diesel.

So do not listen to those opposite. And Senator Cadell coming in here and saying, 'That's not the thing—it's just petrol,' is misleading. It's misleading to the Australian public, because we have released that 20 per cent. That is the stuff that, when Mr Taylor, from the other place, was in charge of their energy security portfolio, had been held up in Texas, or somewhere else, overseas—no-one knows.

We are acting to get more fuels into the Australian market by temporarily amending those fuel standards. We are doing the work. We are working closely with industry, and our state and territory partners, to ensure that fuel gets to where it needs to—particularly in our regional communities. But, as to that supply chain, it takes time to do that. And we know that. We know that there is more to do, and our government will look at every practical option to shield Australian households and businesses, as I said, from the worst global uncertainty that we've seen.

Now, following the meeting of the National Cabinet, the Commonwealth has already appointed Anthea Harris as the Fuel Supply Taskforce Coordinator, to support some of that coordination that's already happening across governments and sectors. This is a new role. The Fuel Supply Taskforce Coordinator will be responsible for leading the new Fuel Supply Taskforce that will be established in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, driving coordination between the Commonwealth and the states and territories on fuel security and that supply-chain resilience. And 'resilience' is the operative word. It was a word that was mentioned many, many times today around practical options to ensure that everyone's responsibility is about the energy security in this nation. We take that approach, and we will continue to pull on the levers that we need to.

Jessica Collins (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to step everybody back through what's happened over the past week, because I was a bit flabbergasted to hear Senator Ayres before mention what they were doing to deal with the undersupply issues, when all we've heard from him from the past week has been: 'This is a demand issue. It's Australians out there filling up their jerry cans that's causing the petrol bowser and the diesel bowser to run out.' I don't know about you, but I think it would take an awful lot of jerry cans to make over 100 diesel bowsers across New South Wales run out.

We heard last Wednesday that there was no problem—nothing to see here! Then, on Thursday, this was a crisis, but it was demand driven. The blame was put on Australians. There was no supply crisis. He said it was 'far-right extremist scaremongering' to suggest that there was a fuel crisis in Australia, that there was no need for Australians to be concerned and that it was not a supply problem, just unusual demand behaviour. He said that we were hyperventilating and that it was hyperpartisan commentary.

For some reason, we are not allowed to hold this government to account for their failure to keep Australia secure in terms of its fuel and for their failure to make sure that the fuel gets to where it's needed to so that our farmers continue going out and feeding this nation. 'Hyperventilating', they called that. We saw smirking today from the minister responsible for answering questions about what they are going to do about this fuel crisis. It's contempt; it's not an apology and it's not an explanation.

I'll tell you how real it is for people in my home state of New South Wales. We are seeing a fertiliser shortage. We're seeing farmers sleeping beside their machinery to protect their fuel. Farmers should be feeding the nation. They shouldn't be standing on a picket to protect their own machinery. That is a gross failure of this government. As I said before, we've seen over 100 stations across New South Wales that have run out of diesel. Thirty-five of them have run out of all fuel, but, according to this government, there is still no problem to see here and no supply issue. This is everybody filling up with jerry cans.

Tourism, cabins, caravans—they're losing their bookings. Everybody's cancelling right across my good state, one of the best states in Australia to go holiday. We've seen the cost of construction going up—PVC pipes are up by 30 per cent and HDP up by 36 per cent. The cost of building your homes is going to go up because of this fuel crisis. Cootamundra council just instructed all of their staff that they couldn't use their bulk storage of diesel. They had to now use their fuel cards and go and find other petrol stations where they could fill up. There's no supply issue here!

Big orders of 80,000 litres to 100,000 litres of fuel are not being fulfilled for the farmers that need it, and independent retailers supplying farmers are going to be the first to lose out. It's the independent retailers that are the ones that supply those good farmers so that they can feed our nation.

We've also seen at least six shipments cancelled or deferred supply coming in from mid-April, so the problem is only going to get worse. What the Australian people need is for the government to be upfront with them—not to obfuscate and not to shirk responsibility but to tell them what they're going to do to protect their fuel and get them the fuel that they need. They don't need to be told to work from home. That's not a real answer. They don't need a fuel coordinator. They've got an energy minister. Why isn't he doing his job of providing fuel to this nation? (Time expired)

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

In rising to take note of answers given in question time today, I can't say I'm surprised that Senator Cash, shamelessly, is using an international crisis as an opportunity to stoke fear and an opportunity for political gain. We heard it here in this place during question time, but we also saw it over the weekend in her media sprint across all the major networks. Once again, in times of international crisis, Senator Cash is looking for a press grab instead of looking for solutions.

But our government will not be lectured by Senator Cash and by the Liberal Party on fuel. Senator Cash was a member of a Liberal-National cabinet who oversaw the closure of four out of six of our oil refineries while they were in government. Senator Cash is playing hyperpartisan politics, running Facebook ads that are stoking fear and division about fuel supply, instead of getting behind our plan to secure supply for Australians. Daily outrage is not a plan, Senator Cash. The Liberal Party should not continue to escalate panic under the guise of representing the real concerns of ordinary Australians. Senator Cash and the Liberal Party are confusing amplifying panic with showing real leadership. They are blaming everyone else while offering no real solution.

Our government knows that, in times of crisis, Australians are looking for calm and responsible leadership and real solutions, and that is what our government is doing. Where Senator Cash sees political benefit in raising the temperature and stoking fear, our government is committed to doing the hard work that Australians need. While Senator Cash was across the major networks over the weekend giving media interviews, the Prime Minister and our government were working hard to secure our supply chains, to make sure that ordinary Australians could get the fuel that they need. They were working on establishing a taskforce to get fuel into regional towns that are feeling it the most.

When the coalition were in government, Australia's emergency fuel supplies were not held in Geelong or Brisbane; they were in Texas—and, as Minister Ayres rightly pointed out in question time today, not Texas in Queensland but Texas in the USA. That is not how you secure fuel supply for ordinary Australians. When the now leader of the opposition, Angus Taylor, was the energy minister, they sent our fuel security to the other side of the world, and they call that a plan. Then they come in here and lecture us on fuel. They say those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Well, in this case, the Liberals didn't just build the glass house; they closed it, scrapped every Australian tanker and stored our reserves overseas. They can throw all the stones they like, but I think Australians can see through it. They want us to get on with the job.

Our government is investing $1.1 billion to build Australia's future fuel supply here at home, and this is work that began long before the crisis in the Middle East. We've been managing supply today and building the next generation of fuel production in Australia. Renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuels, e-fuels—this is what long-term security for fuel looks like, when a government is actually committed to doing the work that is needed, instead of using the opportunity for political grabs.

So what is the government doing? Well, we've heard it a number of times today, but I'm going to say it again: we are taking real action to help Australian families who are feeling it at the moment. We are making sure that fuel is moving where it is needed the most. We are working with state and territory governments on getting fuel particularly into regional towns. We know that supply remains broadly stable and shipments are continuing, and fearmongering by claiming otherwise is dangerous. But we are taking action to make sure Australians get the fuel that they need. We've released fuel from our reserve into the domestic market and adjusted fuel standards to increase supply, and we're working closely with industry to keep supply chains moving. So, while Senator Cash and the opposition are out for a media grab, we are out for making a real difference for Australians at the petrol bowser. (Time expired.)

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What the Australian people expect from their government is an ability to answer reasonable questions from the opposition in Senate question time and, in a measured and considered way, outline to the Australian people what they're actually doing. And yet what we've seen from government senators in this take-note period has been simply attacks on the opposition. It's not about the opposition. It's about the Australian people. And the Australian people expect the Australian government, the Labor government, to be focused on the problem at hand.

They accuse us of fearmongering, which is quite far from the truth. We're actually reflecting what our constituents are telling us in the real world. Let me quote from the NSW Farmers president. This is in light of Senator Collins's remarks that farmers are actually sleeping next to their equipment because they're concerned about the theft of diesel. Imagine such a thing. They're sleeping next to their equipment because they're concerned people are so desperate for diesel they're going to come onto their land and steal their diesel. That's the situation on the ground. The Labor government appears to be living in a parallel universe. This is what Mr Xavier Martin of the NSW Farmers' Association said:

Despite the messaging that there is enough supply in the system, this is not the lived experience of many across rural and regional NSW who are facing daily decisions about how to use their remaining supplies.

He said that if farmers can't get diesel they can't plant. It's pretty simple. If you can't get the fuel, you can't plant. They can't harvest, and they can't move food, and that ultimately affects every Australian household. Yet the Labor government and Labor senators, including Minister Ayres, had the gall to accuse us of fearmongering. Go out and listen to your constituents about what's actually happening on the ground.

In my home state of Queensland, the price of petrol in North West Queensland, in Cloncurry, is $2.68 a litre. That isn't diesel; that's petrol. It's $2.68 a litre. Extraordinary. Everyday Australians are making decisions now. They're taking action now with respect to what they're going to do in the face of these increasing fuel prices. As Senator Collins rightly said, a lot of the tourism industry across Australia, including my home state of Queensland, which has a wonderful tourism industry, Senator Collins—a lot of people from New South Wales come to my home state of Queensland, especially during these months—is aghast that people are starting to cancel their holidays. They can't afford to take those road trips. That is what is actually happening on the ground.

We also heard from Senator Cadell with respect to the fact that petrol and oil flow into so many commodities which Australia depends upon. One of those commodities is fertiliser. You don't get fertiliser without gas production. And, unfortunately, given what's happening in the Middle East, in the gulf, there are deep concerns in Queensland amongst Queensland farmers about access to urea—an absolutely key nitrogen fertiliser. They are deeply concerned as to whether or not they're going to have sufficient urea for crops, especially during the winter planting.

I'll give you another example of oil use: bitumen. The Australian Flexible Pavement Association put out a statement on 12 March 2026 saying that Australia is going to face a shortage of bitumen, because you need oil to produce bitumen. So there are issues with respect to both the cost and availability of bitumen for roadworks and construction works. This issue is flowing through the whole economy with respect to all of the commodities that depend upon oil and gas.

In relation to fearmongering, I want to quote from one of the senior executives of the International Energy Agency. This is what he said just today. This isn't a senator and it isn't a politician; this is one of the senior executives from the International Energy Agency. He said we are facing maybe the biggest crisis since the oil crises of 1973 and 1979 and the gas crisis following Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine.

Question agreed to.