MATTERS OF URGENCY

Senator ROBERTS (Queensland) (16:44): Yesterday, I met with Johanna Brighenti from NSW Farmers and member organisations across horticultural and meat industries. They raised issues caused by the Albanese government's fuel crisis that are terrifying. The cost to get produce to market is going up by between 25 per cent and 75 per cent because of increased fuel costs.

Farmers and truckers using diesel are only getting 30 per cent of their fuel order. This is making Australian produce unaffordable. After the drought years, family farmers have nothing left to get through this.

It's even worse for farmers in the middle of a harvest. One farmer saw their harvest fuel costs double, from $15,000 to $30,000 a week. Fuel bills have to be settled in 14 days.

Supermarkets pay two months. Farmers can no longer afford to finance their harvest, and food will not get to supermarkets. If the Canberra bubble think that this is someone else's problem and that they need do nothing about it, I can assure you it's going to get very real very quickly.

For food producers it is already real.