Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our government knows that families are under pressure, and that's why our No. 1 focus remains the here and now for every single Australian. The conflict in the Middle East is pushing up fuel prices here at home and putting pressure on families, farmers and small businesses. That's why our government is taking every practical measure required to shield our nation and household budgets from the very worst of this global uncertainty. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that our government is halving the fuel excise on petrol and diesel for three months to make fuel cheaper for Australians who are under pressure, and we're cutting the heavy-vehicle road user charge to zero for three months to help truckies continue their vital work of keeping Australia moving.

Despite what those opposite have said, our government has been acting, before this conflict broke out and during the conflict, to ensure that we have action on fuel. We passed new laws to double penalties for petrol companies for price gouging. We have appointed a new national fuel supply taskforce coordinator and taskforce. We released 20 per cent of Australia's petrol and diesel reserves and targeted those reserves to our regional areas. We've changed fuel standards, changed diesel standards, tasked the ACCC with ramping up fuel price monitoring and engaged with international partners to keep supply flowing, including securing a supply agreement with Singapore. We've introduced laws to make companies pay truckies fairly, and we've introduced legislation to underwrite the purchase of fuel by the private sector. We want Australians to have the strongest possible plan so we're ready for what may come, and we're responding in the Australian way—by looking after people. We want to keep our people, our economy and our nation moving.