Treasury Laws Amendment (Fuel Excise Relief No. 2) Bill 2026

Ms CATHERINE KING (Ballarat—Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) (12:37): That was quite the ideological rant from the shadow treasurer. To remind people in the gallery what bill is actually before the House, in case you were wondering after that: this is about whether or not we lower the fuel excise. Given the war in the Middle East and the constraints in global supply and despite the fact that Australia has done incredibly well in being able to secure fuel supply, we're not immune to the fact that there is a global supply shortage that is, unfortunately, increasing prices.

We're really conscious that that is having an impact. We had hoped the war in the Middle East would be all over. We all had hoped that that would be the case, but this would provide quite a shock for many people who rely on the cut that we have made to the fuel excise.

The other thing is that, in my portfolio of transport, there is a co-linking—a road user charge—that the trucking industry pays for. It pays for the money that goes into our roads. But, because the trucking industry is so directly impacted by the price of fuel at the moment, we want to keep some relief going for the trucking industry as well.

That's actually what this bill is about, if you were wondering about the debate here. Since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, Australians have been faced, as we know, with rising fuel costs. I want to take this opportunity, frankly, to commend and thank the Australian driving public for their response to the domestic impacts of this global conflict.

You have been absolutely magnificent. It hasn't been easy. We know that, at the start of the crisis, people were pretty worried about there being a shortage, and we saw that as people tried to stockpile, but they have responded incredibly well.

They have really thought about what's happening with fuel usage. They have really thought about the trips that they're taking. They really wanted to make sure that the fuel supply was going to where it was absolutely needed, that our farmers could continue to have diesel and that essential services workers could continue to have access.

I want to thank the Australian public for the great work that they've done. This is really about all of us, as a country, being in something together. It is not a crisis of the making of any of us, but we've had to deal with it, and deal with it as best we can, so I really want to thank the Australian public for that.

Many of you have taken the voluntary actions this government has suggested to free up more fuel supply so that we can get it to the people who need it the most, like our farmers, our truck drivers and our emergency services workers. In parallel, our government's been working hard to shore up the fuel supply and provide cost-of-living relief to drivers and transport operators who are feeling the pressure of high fuel prices.

As at 16 June, our emergency reserves include 44 days worth of petrol, 32 days worth of jet fuel and 39 days worth of diesel, and that's been a combined effort by industry, the international community and the government, working together. We're also continuing to work with our international partners to secure those additional supplies through agreements with countries like Japan, Brunei, Malaysia and Korea.

Because of that work, there's more fuel in the country now than there was when this crisis started in February. Keeping that is important work that the government has done, but we're not immune to what is happening globally. We have seen fuel prices come down from their peaks in April.

In most capital cities, the petrol price is around 90c per litre lower and the diesel price is around $1 per litre lower, but we know, particularly those of us who live in regional communities, that it is still creating some difficulty for people. We welcome the agreement between the United States and Iran to de-escalate the conflict. We are desperate for that to hold—I know the whole world is desperate for that to hold.

While we're hopeful, obviously we know that it is going to take quite a while for this to bear down and for global fuel movements to recover. That's why it is critical that this legislation pass urgently. It will provide that continued certainty and support for those who need it.

Extending the fuel excise by another month will make petrol and diesel around 16c per litre cheaper than normal July prices and will save Australians around $11 per tank. In addition to this support, as I said, we're also reducing the heavy vehicle road user charge by 16c for the same period, providing continued relief to our transport operators. This is more temporary help, following the three-month reduction of the heavy vehicle road user charge to zero and the deferment of the next scheduled increase by six months.

We know that we are, hopefully, on the road to a pathway out of this, but time is still needed to allow that to occur. That's why the government's taking a measured and staged approach to returning the fuel excise and the heavy vehicle road user charge to their regular settings. Our approach has been welcomed by industry, including the Australian Trucking Association, and I again acknowledge their real advocacy and their capacity to work with the government on this issue; the Australian Automobile Association, representing, of course, all of the motoring groups and the travelling public; and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Andrew McKellar has said: Extending this support provides some welcome short-term certainty for freight operators and the many small and medium businesses that depend on them. It's important that we as a government remain responsive to the ongoing impact of this crisis. The legislation is the next step in doing so, and I very much commend this bill to the House.

I look forward to its passage here.