Press conference, Fairfield West, NSW
MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY, CHRIS BOWEN: Thanks, everyone, for coming. Australia has 41 days’ worth of petrol, which is two days less than my update last week. Now, it’s 33 days’ worth of diesel, which is two days more than my update last week.
We have 28 days’ worth of jet fuel, which is two days less than last week’s update. We have 48 ships on the way to Australia with fuel, and we have 3.2 billion litres of fuel locked in to be delivered over the next four weeks, which is the same amount as my report last week. The rolling four-week average is very consistent.
We have had 75 ships arrive in September and 51 already arrive halfway through October. So the situation remains that Australia’s fuel security is solid in the face of the ongoing international uncertainty. Government policy approach remains the same: calm and steady engagement with trading partners, whether they be in the Middle East or Southeast Asia or Asia more generally, and working with our refineries to ensure that they are able to continue to produce fuel in the best interests of Australians.
Australians can take some confidence in the fact that now, well over six months into this crisis, despite the predictions of shortfalls and rationing by some in politics, and some people who said they’re experts, we’ve managed, in working with trading partners and with refineries, to see ongoing fuel supply in Australia. And, of course, we continue our efforts to build our longer-term, more secure fuel supply with our $3 billion commitment in the Budget, a national government-owned fuel reserve, increasing the stockholding obligation, moving towards low-carbon liquid fuels, and, of course, supporting the choices of Australians to electrify.
Our four-point plan to improve long-term fuel security for Australians. Happy to take questions. JOURNALIST: Thank you, Minister.
Just got a question for you on the story on the front page. It says that the ATO gave the Government advance warning that it was going to stop credit card payments. Are you aware of this, and is it standard practice for a department to do that, or should it be?
CHRIS BOWEN: The situation is, as has been previously outlined by the Treasurer, that the ATO informed the Treasurer in late September that they’d taken this decision. As the Treasurer has previously said, he was aware that they were considering the different options to handle this situation. The ATO took a decision in late September, advised the Treasurer, the Treasurer instructed the ATO to ensure that there were appropriate transition arrangements in place, and then intervened to ensure that those transition arrangements stayed in place longer.
JOURNALIST: [QUESTION UNCLEAR] CHRIS BOWEN: Well, for the last question first, absolutely. Jim is a reforming Treasurer. Change is difficult.
When you’re changing the country, you’re going to get lots of criticism. When you’re saying to Australians, for example, that the housing system isn’t fair, that young people aren’t getting a fair go, you’ve got to expect some people not to be happy about the changes you put in place. Likewise, when you’re engaging in making the tax system fairer, like our trust reforms, you’ve got to get some people who aren’t happy about that.
On small business, this Government consults deeply with small business. We value small business very, very strongly. We know that small businesses do face cash flow issues and things like that.
That’s why the Treasurer intervened, for example, to ensure that the tax office, despite the fact that only two per cent of small businesses pay their tax debt by credit card, that’s important for those businesses. So we put in place those longer-term arrangements. JOURNALIST: The Coalition looks to oppose the EU free trade agreement.
I think they’re saying that Australian farmers don’t get subsidies when European farmers do. There seems to be some rumblings, a little bit of backbench [unclear]. What do you make of these developments?
CHRIS BOWEN: Well, firstly, I saw Matt Canavan announce on behalf of the Liberal Party that they oppose the EU free trade agreement. Now, David Littleproud’s meant to be the leader of the National Party. The fact that he’s making announcements on behalf of the Coalition, understandably, has upset Liberal Party members, and based on what I read, there’s been no party room discussion about this.
Secondly, the Liberal Party, you don’t expect a Liberal Party to believe in much, but you expect them to believe in trade and free trade. And here’s a party which is now so opposed to even the mention of climate change that they’ve decided to oppose a free trade agreement with one of the world’s largest markets, the EU. Now, they couldn’t deliver an EU free trade agreement.
Don Farrell’s done that. But for the Liberal Party to have fallen so low and so far away from its alleged free market credentials that they would oppose a free trade agreement beggars belief. This just shows how out of touch the Liberal Party is with the necessity to grow our economy and partly to do that through trade.
They are so engaged in the tribal culture wars on climate change that because the free trade agreement even dares to mention cooperation when it comes to clean energy and climate change, therefore they’re going to oppose the free trade agreement. It just shows how out of touch they are, and they don’t really stand for what the once-great Liberal Party of Australia stood for, which is free markets and trade.
JOURNALIST: Is the deal good for Australian farmers? CHRIS BOWEN: Absolutely. It opens up markets.
It opens up access for farmers, for Australians, to the European markets. Don Farrell’s done a great job in negotiating a hard-fought negotiation. We walked away from negotiations earlier because we weren’t satisfied.
He went back to the negotiations to get a better deal, and he got that better deal. JOURNALIST: Next year, Parliament is going to sit in Old Parliament House. They’re looking for a [unclear].
Do you think the committee organising it will be able to get around the logistics of fitting so many people into what is now a small [unclear]? CHRIS BOWEN: Yeah, it’s going to be great. It’s a very special day in the history of Australia, the history of Canberra, the 100th anniversary of Old Parliament House’s operations.
I think the committee’s doing a great job. It’s a bipartisan committee led by Sharon Claydon and Michael McCormack. As a lover of history, I think it’s going to be a very special day.
Of course it’s going to be cramped. Of course it’s not going to be a normal sort of parliamentary day. But it’s going to be a very special day to stand at the same dispatch boxes, you know, John Curtin and Ben Chifley and Robert Menzies and Gough Whitlam.
I think every Member of Parliament will find that a very special day. And I hope Australians, too, recognise that Old Parliament House, together with New Parliament House, is a very important part of our history and our great achievement as one of the world’s great democracies. Democracy can’t be taken for granted these days.
And the fact that we can celebrate our democracy and our track record as one of the world’s longest-standing democracies is a very good thing. JOURNALIST: Just on the free trade agreement, is the Government confident there’s a pathway through the Senate for that free trade agreement? CHRIS BOWEN: Well, it’d certainly be a lot easier with Coalition support.
I mean, it’d be a slam dunk if the Liberal Party actually stood up for free trade and free markets. The Government will work to get a pathway through the Parliament. We don’t have a majority in the Senate in our own right.
We’ll work with people of good faith because it’s important for the Australian economy. If the Liberal Party wants to count itself out as a credible economic player in 2026, well, that’s a matter for them. We’ll get on with the job.
We’ll just keep working to find the relevant pathway through the Parliament. JOURNALIST: Have you been speaking with the Greens? CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I can’t speak for the Greens.
But the fact that you’re even asking the question, showing that the Greens, a party with zero, generally, you know, zero economic credibility, but more economic credibility than the Liberal Party on this occasion. JOURNALIST: Just on another matter, the travel advice for Saudi Arabia was updated yesterday to “do not travel”. Can you just explain why that decision was made and what advice the Government has for Australians?
CHRIS BOWEN: Well, obviously Saudi Arabia has been under attack from the Houthis. Our travel advice is always appropriately conservative. I was in Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks ago consulting about energy security and fuel supply.
I managed to do that just before the recent and most serious outbreak, although it had been under attack, obviously, before then. But we just simply encourage all Australians to listen to our travel advice. It’s issued in the best interests of Australians.
I understand it can be difficult to change your plans, but travel advice is issued for very good reason. And any Australians in Saudi Arabia, I know, are able to approach our embassy and our consulate for the best advice. JOURNALIST: That’s all from us.
CHRIS BOWEN: That it? Thanks for coming, everyone. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.