Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia is facing a national crisis. But let's be very clear: this started before the war broke out, when Australia was left exposed by this Labor government. Inflation was already too high. Government spending was already excessive. Government debt, we know, is approaching almost $1 trillion. Interest rates are rising again for the 14th time under this Labor government. Cost-of-living pressures were already crushing Australian households. Australia entered this period of global instability with fewer buffers, higher debt, rising interest rates and far less room to move. The exposure was already there.

We need strong fundamentals to be able to handle these shocks, but, unfortunately, we're now seeing the consequences of the failures of this Labor Albanese government. Fuel supplies are being disrupted across the country. Hundreds of service stations are running dry. Prices have skyrocketed, and Australians are paying the price for that at the browser. That is why the coalition called for immediate, practical relief through a temporary reduction in the fuel excise. This has the potential to deliver immediate relief of around 26c a litre, reducing the pressure on Australian families and small businesses right now.

It is a positive that, just now, the government has taken up our call to reduce the fuel excise, but Australians have already been absorbing the impact of this fuel crisis for far too long. As we approach Easter, a time for families to come together, Australians shouldn't have to worry about the basics: whether they can afford the fuel they need or whether there will even be fuel there when they get to the pump. Australians deserve better preparation, they deserve security and they deserve better leadership.