MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Senator WHITTEN (Western Australia) (16:40): Once again, the Albanese Labor government is making life harder for everyday Australians. The Labor government is increasing the price of fuel by 16c a litre from 1 July. At a time when families are already struggling to make ends meet, the government has decided that hardworking Aussies should pay more.
Australians are sick and tired of being treated like an endless source of revenue. Every time they fill up the tank, they are reminded that governments are more interested in balancing their books than balancing the household budget of Aussie families. Fuel is not a luxury.
It is an essential. When fuel prices go up, everything goes up. Transport companies pay more.
Farmers pay more. Manufacturers pay more. Those higher costs are passed on through the supply chain until every Australian pays more at the check-out.
But don't worry. They give you $5 a week for a cup of coffee. This decision will add further pressure to inflation at precisely the wrong time.
The government claims this is simply the expiry of temporary relief, but Australians do not care what bureaucratic label is attached to it. They know they will still be paying more for fuel from Wednesday. That means less money for groceries, less money for rising electricity bills, less money for the mortgage and less money left at the end of the week.
One Nation's policy was to cut the fuel excise by half at the last election. The Albanese government will still be profiting from the spike in fuel prices while Australians are struggling. As the pain at the pump continues, so does the government's GST take on every litre.
Our families are hurting. Our farmers are hurting. Our small businesses are hitting the wall.
Small businesses will be among the hardest hit by an increase in the fuel excise. Whether it's a plumber driving between jobs, a builder towing equipment, a courier delivering parcels or a transport company servicing regional Australia, fuel is a daily business expense. An extra 16c a litre across a fleet of vehicles over thousands of kilometres every month adds up to thousands of dollars in additional operating costs.
These higher fuel costs do not stop at the service station. Every additional dollar spent filling the tank is a dollar that cannot be invested in employing another apprentice, buying new equipment, expanding their business or giving staff a pay rise. Many small businesses are left with only two choices: absorb the cost and watch already tight profits disappear or pass those costs on to customers through higher prices.
Neither option is good for the economy, particularly when so many Australians are struggling with the rising cost of living. It's economic vandalism. Regional and rural businesses are especially disadvantaged because they have no practical alternative to road transport.
Increasing the cost of fuel places an unfair burden on the very businesses that keep regional communities alive. At a time when governments should be backing small business to create jobs and drive economic growth, increasing their operating costs sends Aussies the wrong message. Fuel prices flow through every part of the economy.
At a time when the government says it's committed to bringing inflation under control, increasing the cost of fuel risks adding further price pressures across the economy. Instead of reducing the cost of living, this decision places another burden on Australian families and businesses that are already struggling to keep up with rising expenses. This Labor government has got to have a better plan for Australia.
One Nation's plan is clear. Keep the fuel excise where it is. Review it in 12 months.
Suspend the road user charge. Prioritise policies that will allow Australia to find, process and distribute fuel. Refine our own fuel.
Build new refineries. Increase our fuel storage capacity. Strategic fuel storage must be controlled by Australia on Australian shores.
Establish a national reserve with crude oil companies to prioritise supply to Australia. The needs of Australia must be catered to first. Remove the impediments to using domestically produced fuel.
The fuel crisis has been created by decades of net zero destroying our ability to use our own resources. One Nation will abolish net zero. This will put $30 billion a year back into the pockets of Australians by abolishing the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
One Nation has been saying that we need to be self-reliant for decades. We must take back control of our country. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Hodgins-May ): The time for the discussion has expired.