On Friday the Coalition called upon the Albanese Labor Government to halve the fuel excise for 3 months – delivering 26.3 cents per litre relief at the bowser. Saving most drivers around $20 on a tank of fuel.

Mallee petrol stations have been running out of diesel and unleaded. Minister Bowen admits over 100 Victorian petrol stations have run out of fuel, far more than in most other states.

“At a time when Australian families are tightening their belts, the last thing they should be asked to fund is more politicians ... Now is the time to tighten the belt, not expand the bureaucracy. This Government is focused on itself."

“Instead of acknowledging the problem and fixing it, the Government is doubling down on a tool that is producing inaccurate outcomes and leaving vulnerable people without care.”

"... an alternative domestic supply base already exists that meets Australian fuel standards and is a viable and scalable component of a diversified fuel strategy and a buffer against a supply shock.” 

Robinvale growers tell me their buyers won’t pay the higher cost of delivery to market so the painful choice may be not to harvest at all. One in 5 cropping farmers are considering not sowing this year.

"Mallee family budgets are already stretched before the Iran conflict. Labor's war on fossil fuels has put families, farmers and small businesses at breaking point.

If gaslighting were an energy resource, this Albanese government could light up the nation, while it plunges into the abyss of their incompetence.

As for the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, where do I start? Last week—'No problem at all with supply.' Three days later, suddenly we've got a fuel crisis.