Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Shadow Minister for Regional Communications - Member for Mallee - Transcript - Sky News - Sunday 22 March 2026

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‍DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TOPICS:  Fuel prices, regional communities, diesel shortages, panic buying, Chris Bowen, price gouging, ACCC investigation, fertiliser shortages, almond industry, primary industries, government action, Albanese government, rationing, work from home, supply chain.

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Seal

Regional communities are some of the hardest hit areas when it does come to fuel prices this country is facing right now. For more joining us live is Dr Anne Webster, Shadow Minister for Regional Health. Dr Webster, thank you very much for joining us. Of course, it's not only fuel, it's fertiliser, urea, other other industries that we can go on and on for, but getting back to fuel, the shortages, no fuel, exorbitant prices. What are you seeing in your area?

Webster

Well, what you say is perfectly true, and everybody knows it. And what frustrates me is that Chris Bowen comes out and says, oh, people are panic buying. We have farmers who have been waiting three weeks for their diesel. They're in the middle of spraying. They've got cropping to do. There is harvesting to be done, particularly up in the north. And three weeks they have not been able to get a fuel delivery, diesel delivery to their property, so they're having to go into town with their little fuel tanks and fill up trip after trip after trip so that they can get their harvesting done, so they can get their spraying done. Where is Mr. Bowen on this? We hear today, Jaynie that you know, he says, oh, yeah, there will be six ships that won't be coming to Australia in April, but that's okay. We've got it sorted. I mean, if anyone in Australia can believe Chris Bowen when he opens his mouth to assure us and gaslight us one more time that everything is going to be fine. You know, we all deserve a medal.

Seal

And I guess the big question that not really anybody, I would say, apart from perhaps us, President Donald Trump, knows the timeline of this conflict, so we are looking at preparations. We just had the former ACCC chair talking about potentially doing fuel rationing. There's talk about work from home. There's all sorts of ideas. Do you think these need to be implemented immediately?

Webster

Well, I actually called for a meeting with the ACCC the day before they announced they were actually doing an investigation. That was great. I met with 11 in the room, and I said to them, so what are you doing to ensure price gouging is not occurring? What are you doing to ensure supply is fair and reasonable and getting out to our regions? And I said, Oh, you know where we are doing things? And I said, Well, you know what the Australian people need to know? You need to communicate that you are acting because at the moment, we feel like we're in a rudderless ship with an unknown future. And it particularly impacts the regions at the moment, Jaynie at the moment, because what will end up happening is that we don't have calls able to deliver their food,

Seal

Talking about the fertilisers as well. I mean, you know too well, as you mentioned, speaking to farmers. I know we've spoken this week as well about the almond industry, for example.

Webster

Absolutely, the almond industry has almonds that are floating in water, some trees that are still under water. This is not a great place to be, and they need diesel, and it's a million litres a week that they need, but they also need more diesel because they've actually got to dry out the almonds. So you know, this is a really troubling space to be. And what our farmers need and our industries, primary industries need is to feel secure that the government is actually doing enough, and I don't get that impression from the farmers that I speak to. So the Albanese government needs to step up and show what steps it's actually taking, and stop gaslighting the Australian public.

Seal

Dr, Anne Webster, thank you so much as always.

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