Shadow Portfolio — 30 March 2026

The Member for Berowra, Mr Julian Leeser, used parliamentary time on 30 March to press the government on two distinct policy fronts — a live fuel-supply crisis and deteriorating school conditions — while also claiming credit for the government's excise move.

On fuel, Mr Leeser put three immediate demands to the government: a detailed distribution plan for stations running dry, daily public updates on shortage locations, and a longer-term petrol crisis strategy [TA-260330-house-326949c748de:s049]. In the same contribution he welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement halving the fuel excise for three months, framing it explicitly as a policy the Opposition had already called for, and projecting savings of 26 cents a litre and $16 million daily for motorists [TA-260330-house-326949c748de:s049].

The positioning is deliberate: the Opposition simultaneously claims policy authorship of the excise cut and keeps pressure on the government by demanding operational follow-through on supply distribution — a posture that lets it praise the headline measure while attacking the implementation.

On education, Mr Leeser trained his fire on Victoria's school-funding position, asserting that Victorian public schools carry the lowest per-student funding nationally once the Northern Territory is excluded, with Victorian secondary students receiving $860 per head less than their New South Wales counterparts and $1,740 less than Tasmanian students [TA-260330-house-326949c748de:s138].

He reinforced the critique with school-safety data, citing a 150 per cent surge in violence against principals since 2011 and reporting that 47.8 per cent of principals experienced physical violence in 2025 while 53.7 per cent faced threats [TA-260330-house-326949c748de:s138]. His call for the government to empower principals to enforce discipline and maintain safety frames the funding argument not merely as a resourcing gap but as a failure of governance with direct consequences for school communities.

The session closed with Mr Leeser acknowledging BlowFly Cricket, an all-abilities cricket club in Hornsby, for inclusive participation and volunteering opportunities for people with disability in his electorate [TA-260330-house-326949c748de:s163].

The day's parliamentary activity is sourced from a single Hansard contribution spanning three discrete subject areas. No comms-stream material was present in this segment; the Note reflects the parliamentary record alone.