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

With the concurrence of the Senate, the clerks will set the clocks in accordance with informal arrangements agreed by the whips.

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 all questions without notice asked by coalition senators today.

Here we have the government today, again, with more of the same. What we are talking about is their response to fuel: 'Don't go out and get fuel.' We're out of jerry cans all across Australia, apparently! But we're not. It's, 'Any answer will do,' on this matter. 'Any answer will do—we'll just chuck it out because we want to be seen to be doing something. This is what we're going to get out there.'

I must say I do want to congratulate the government on fixing the longevity of the particle board in kitchens that I raised earlier, because we're going to run out of polypipe well before we will ever before we run out of kitchen stuff. We have a business in Newcastle today—I was out there; I was talking—who have 20 electricians on site. They are cleaning the yard and their equipment because there is no polypipe to go out and do jobs—no construction work getting done. What we have is slabs not getting laid, because the plumbers can't put in the underground infrastructure to build this.

The other question I note, from another senator today, was a question about housing approvals. It wasn't housing completions or housing starts; it was about approvals—because we can't get the polypipe, we can't get the equipment, we can't get the particle board and we can't get anything that is petroleum based into the construction industry to actually build the homes. That's why there was a question about approvals today. But here we are. We're talking about everything else in this place.

What we're really talking about is this government making Australia weaker through poor decisions. We're talking about the things that they do to look good out there in the public but not actually improve Australia when we get there. What a great way we have to solve the glue issue on policy—not even by getting a house far enough along, by building a slab or by building the stuff to get it better. We deserve better. We've got prices going up all over the place. We have all this sort of stuff. But what we had was a discussion that they ran away with at a million miles an hour about increasing the size of the parliament. Sure, we may have briefed people. We may have briefed the press. A minister may have gone to the Press Club and talked about how all great Labor prime ministers have increased the size of parliament, but we'll run away from that today. We'll just run away. We had gaslighting people like no tomorrow, because that is what this government does.

We aren't talking about increasing the size of parliament—$600 million worth of expense. We're pretending that never happened. We're pretending the Prime Minister didn't say we're running out of jerry cans, because apparently we're not running out of jerry cans and that's being backed up by everything else. All we go through is deflect—it's like dodgeball. What is it? 'Dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge' are the things to get through dodgeball. That's what we're doing on this issue. We are avoiding the substantive things of this issue because we know the real consequences are out there in the public. We see the issues going on, but we talk about these side matters because they are. When you get caught talking on a side matter, like increasing the size of parliament—$600 million more for us, for this class, to continue over the future—we pretend. We run away when we get caught deflecting.

It is time for real answers. It is time for real solutions. Australia is a strong energy company, a strong energy country, but we have made decisions over years and years going back 20 years to make us weak. All we do in this parliament—so many people have sat in the corner like a cuck as we've made decisions to make this a weak country, and it is no longer. Australia and Australians cannot get screwed over by sitting back and doing nothing. It is time to harness what we have. It is time to free what we can be and be strong—to do anything more than make decisions as we go forward—and make Australia strong, so we can make decisions in our best interest, not anyone else's but Australia's best interests.

We are weak. So let's get back to that sovereignty position. Let's make decisions that make Australia a stronger and better country so we can help those that need help, so we can help those in Australia that need our help and so we can make decisions based on making Australia a better country. (Time expired)

Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Wow! Here's an opportunity to talk about the most important period this country is facing at the moment and the world is facing—the Middle East crisis—and they want to talk about jerrygate. They want to talk about Bunningsgate. The most ridiculous questions about what is actually going on right now—trying to actually unleash some good, credible answers that this government have been putting forward in the era of dealing with the fuel challenges that we have at the moment.

Of course, then they start raising some questions about what's happening regarding excise and the excise cut. Now there's some problem with it. Why you do want to start looking the case of inflation, where the advantages are of this decision that we've made? Not only will it help mums and dads and make their fuel cheaper and not only will it decrease petrol and diesel prices; it will also turn around and decrease, by half a percentage point through the year of June 2026 on Treasury estimates, inflation. It will reduce inflation.

If you want to start coming here and asking serious questions about what is going on, then you'll get some serious answers—because you start talking about what we are doing about the cost of living. When we start asking ourselves questions about the cost of living, you have to ask what the alternatives are. What we've been doing on cost of living is not only making sure we put the correct policies in place to deal with the fuel challenges that the world is facing and that this country is facing as a result of the Middle East War but also bringing a whole series of critically important strategies in to deal with the cost of living. Those strategies have gone to Medicare, urgent care clinics, women's health, minimum wage increases and the list of the things that we've brought to the table to make sure that Australians who are doing it tough have an opportunity to get a fair response from this government and from policy goes on and on.

But we can't hear anything sensible for those across the way. We hear, as we say, the inventorygate. When we start looking at the sorts of solutions the opposition have put forward—when they say this is all costing too much to reduce fuel excise—for example, then shadow treasurer and now opposition leader, Angus Taylor, was the key architect to hike up income taxes for over 14 million taxpayers. That's his answer to how you do cost relief when you're not giving people cost relief. He also went on to be one of the key architects of their $10 billion taxpayer funded long-lunches policy. This is another cost relief. I don't know how that's a cost relief but, you know what, they've worked out somehow that that's going to help productivity and the cost of living. It will certainly help for well-paid, well-heeled bosses. It won't help every ordinary Australian, every middle Australian or low-income earner. Of course, in the past, when they think about cost relief, they thought about things like sacking 41,000 frontline workers and gutting essential services like Medicare to pay, in that case, for $600 billion worth of nuclear fantasy. I guess, in this case, they want to give it with one hand and take it away with the other.

What we're facing with those on the opposite side is no coherent strategy about how to deal with either the fuel crisis or cost-of-living challenges. Every proposition they put up mean there are more costs to the Australian public. The government has put forward a critical strategy for fuel, a critical strategy for cost of living, and it's about time you got on board. (Time expired)

Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia is already in a cost-of-living crisis, and that was before this Middle East energy shock fully hits us. Since the Labor government came to office, we've seen electricity rise by 38 per cent, seen gas up by 42 per cent, food up by 16 per cent, health up by 15 per cent, education up by 17 per cent, education up by 14 per cent, insurance up by a massive 39 per cent and rent up by 22 per cent. Cumulatively, the average prices in the Australian economy that are measured by the consumer price index have gone up by 12 per cent over the past four years. That is significantly higher than any long-term inflationary increase in the Australian economy.

We're not on top of inflation. The February figures showed annualised inflation running at 3.7 per cent here in Australia. That's slightly better than the January figure of 3.8 per cent, but, if you compare that to the rest of the world and to other advanced economies who have also been through the COVID pandemic and who have also been hit by the Ukraine war, it's one to two percentage points higher. Right now, inflation in the United States is 2.4 per cent. In the UK, it's three per cent. In the Eurozone, it's 1.9 per cent. In Canada, it's 1.8 per cent. In Japan, it's 1.3 per cent. We're already, before this crisis fully hits us, a full two or so percentage points higher for the inflation we are running in Australia.

That is why, when our Reserve Bank met a few weeks ago, it made the second increase in rates in as many months. That's two rises in two months. Other central banks around the world, who met the same week as our Reserve Bank met, kept their rates on pause because they have inflation under control. Australia, as the Reserve Bank governor said, has inflation that's already out of control. That is before this shock hits us. The government's response to the Middle East oil shock, parts of which we support in the coalition, is to reduce the fuel excise. I think that is a good and worthwhile measure because it does recognise the unique circumstances we are facing, and the massive, one-off pressure that this is putting on household budgets. Where we differ is how we pay for this. The government's cut to the fuel excise is going to cost $2.6 billion but is not going to be offset by cuts in government spending elsewhere, which means all it is going to do is add to aggregate demand. The Reserve Bank has already been quite clear that inflation is continuing to rise and that the Reserve Bank is tightening monetary policy because aggregate demand, public and private demand, is growing faster than aggregate supply, and in that situation you are going to have prices rising. The Reserve Bank has been raising interest rates to try and rein in private demand because it doesn't have any say in public demand; public demand is the government's choice. We already have government spending at a 40-year high outside of the pandemic. The last budget papers showed government spending growing at four times the rate of the economy. We've got debt growing significantly and now close to $1 trillion.

Senator Sheldon, speaking before, made the point that this intervention will reduce inflation. Well, no, all it will do is mask inflation. It is adding to inflationary pressures in the economy because this $2.6 billion is not fully offset. They will be felt, and the Reserve Bank—as it always does, just as it did with the electricity rebates—will look through the one-off effects of this rebate and look through the change it delivers in headline inflation to look at the long-term price pressures, and it will see that demand is still growing faster than supply. That is why the coalition's proposal was to fully offset this so that we sanitise the impact on aggregate demand whilst providing households budget relief. (Time expired)

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hope there weren't too many people watching at home this question time because it was pretty extraordinary that, in the midst of conflict in the Middle East, in the midst of extraordinary pressures facing Australians, the first-order question from the opposition—the biggest concern on their minds—was the composition of this place and what it means for the Liberal Party, followed by a question on the inflationary impact of a policy that the Liberal Party apparently supports and claims to own—and that's from the same Liberal Party that took to the election higher debts, bigger deficits and greater taxes. Then they finished off with a question about the number of jerry cans at Bunnings.

To be clear, if there are people who watch question time at home, this is the largest global shock to energy markets since the 1970s. It could not be more serious. Twenty per cent of the global supply of oil and 70 per cent of oil coming to our region has been affected. The fact is these are uncertain times. They are difficult times for many Australians. I've spoken to many people in my community over the past few days who have shared their anxiety with me and who are thinking about changing plans or cancelling holidays; they're readjusting family budgets and feeling very uncertain about what lies ahead. Those opposite can show those people respect by showing up here seriously—not coming to question time with a first-order question concerned about the future of their place here and the composition of Liberal seats in this parliament but showing up here and putting a first question on the economy and on the very distressing times our country, and indeed the globe, is facing in this fuel security challenge.

We know the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is causing petrol prices to rise, which is being felt by many people, including families, farmers and small businesses, and it is impossible to predict what will happen next. But our government is taking responsible action. We are coordinating nationally with the states and territories, and we are doing what we can to ensure Australians get a fair go. We're doing what we can to get more fuel here and to get fuel to those who need it.

Just this week the Prime Minister convened a second National Cabinet meeting since the conflict began, and we've taken swift action on fuel across the board, including, as we've heard today, halving the fuel excise for diesel and petrol for three months. We've announced a cut to the heavy vehicle road user charge, to zero for three months. We've passed new laws to double penalties for petrol companies price gouging. We've appointed a national fuel supply taskforce coordinator. We've released 20 per cent of Australia's fuel reserves targeted at regional areas. We've temporarily changed petrol and diesel standards to get more fuel flowing. We've changed diesel standards so Australia's refineries can supply more diesel. We've tasked the ACCC with ramping up fuel price monitoring and issuing on-the-spot fines. We've made it easier for Australia's refineries to access government funding when they run at a loss. We've engaged with international partners to keep supply flowing. We've engaged with the states and territories on supply and distribution, including holding a special energy ministers meeting and activating the National Coordination Mechanism, which has met twice. And we've unlocked $2 million in financial counselling funding for impacted farmers. That's not to mention the legislation that we've seen come through this chamber this week and through the House of Representatives as well.

That's what it looks like to show up seriously for our communities, who are concerned in the midst of the challenge we're facing in light of this Middle Eastern conflict. We're not coming in here with questions about your own future and the composition of this place. We're showing up seriously, asking serious questions and taking serious action which takes these concerns seriously.

Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a government that has mastered the art of blaming others, even though it's been in government for four years. The actual issue is not the inventory of Bunnings but is what the Prime Minister said and why. On Saturday, at a press conference in Sydney, the Prime Minister told Australians that Bunnings had run out of jerry cans—not that it had a lot of them, not that it was running low, but that it had run out. A spokeswoman for Bunnings then told news.com.au just yesterday, plainly and unambiguously, that Bunnings has not run out of jerry cans. In fact, worse than that, Bunnings said that telling people that they've run out of jerry cans was actually more likely to trigger panic buying.

When Senator Wong was asked about this today, what did we get? What did we get from a government that promised Australians it would be all about accountability and transparency? It blamed consumers again. First, consumers in Australia bought too much fuel. This was all about them; there was not a supply issue. It's now about jerry cans. Australians are buying too many jerry cans. Again, it's all about someone else. If the government cannot get the facts right on jerry cans, how on earth can Australians have any confidence that they get the facts right on fuel supply, on pricing and on what is actually happening in servos around the country?

Today, the number of fuel stations out of one type of fuel was actually up, not down. Right now in South Australia, my home state, they're paying between $3.19 and $3.26 for diesel. In Port Augusta, that's around $3.30. It's $2.59 for unleaded petrol, and people are driving around to make sure they can find the fuel they need. In the APY Lands, fuel costs are approaching $4 a litre for diesel. They are looking soon at shutting off bowsers within a week to preserve what little fuel remains for diesel generators and essential transport—not for cars but for generators, for their very survival. These are people in remote areas that actually do need and often travel with jerry cans. So don't tell them there are none.

While the Prime Minister is making inaccurate claims about jerry cans at Bunnings in Sydney, communities in remote South Australia are days away from losing fuel. I want to talk more about them in this place—the forgotten people, the people out in the regions. They are worried about how to get from A to B. They are worried this Easter holidays about where they get fuel when they're at their destination. Can they even get back? That's the reality when you actually talk to people on the ground, and they've had not a single assurance from this government that the fuel will be there. That's if they can already afford to get where they wanted to go. How out of touch can you possibly be?

On the move to expand parliament, can you believe that there's even a conversation other than security of Australians in this country and about fuel? We don't need to be talking at this time about more parliamentarians in this place, particularly at a cost of around $600 million. Australians, you better believe it: this government's priorities are wrong.

Question agreed to.