Julie-Ann Campbell
Moreton · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“It was Steven Miles who introduced 50c fares, which go to making sure that people can have relief when they tap their card at the bus or to get on the train. And it was many energy workers who came together to make sure that publicly owned renewables could be back in state government hands.”
“We just heard during the MPI in this parliament every excuse that they could think of—every obfuscation that came to mind, every reason—to not back reform that protects our children. The news I want to give to those opposite is this: we will not lie down when it comes to ensuring that Australian children are safe.”
“It is important to remember that yesterday marked a tax cut, the fifth from this government, for every Australian taxpaying worker. It is important to remember that this government, unlike those opposite, backed in minimum and award wage increases which came into effect yesterday.”
“Yesterday didn't just mark the beginning of a new financial year, it marked the next step in the Albanese Labor government's crusade to ensure that cost-of-living relief is delivered to everyday Australians, and it sits in stark contrast to what we've seen from those opposite this week.”
“If you've ever sat in your car at the Coopers Plains crossing on Boundary Road, you would know that it can feel like an absolute eternity. It's been consistently named by the RACQ as one of the worst crossings in our entire state. Locals in my community have been waiting decades for the promised overpass to that rail level crossing.”
“But if you'd cracked open the LNP's budget last Tuesday, what you would have found as you sorted through the papers is that there was no commitment and no timeline to this important project being delivered, despite the state previously having committed $179.5 million to the project as well.”
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“The dream of homeownership can be back again, because we are making significant reform that will address intergenerational equality. The budget bottom line is nearly $45 billion better compared to MYEFO. This is more than a trillion dollars better than what the coalition left us with. On the cost of living, we know that the Labor government is investing in things that ease pressure for everyday Australians. So, when we talk about an aspirational budget, a budget that is based on resilience and on reform, the Labor government is focused on driving the opportunities for the next generation, not leaving them behind.”
“That choice is not for everyday taxpayers. And, when it comes to scarcity, if you consider the result in the Farrer by-election and you also consider the member for Flynn's potential defection to One Nation, people from the LNP in this place are getting scarce! The intergenerational vandalism of those sitting opposite puts a target on the back of thousands of people in my community and on the back of millions of Australians across our country, because, when it comes to housing, this is a budget that has a reform of tax systems to support 75,000 more Australians into the housing market. It's creating homes for Australians. And that investment is now over $47 billion. That's on top of Help to Buy. That's on top of five per cent. It's limiting negative gearing for residential property so it can only be used for new builds.”
“So if you're a young person yearning to get into your first home, the Leader of the Opposition doesn't want you to have an even playing field; in fact, he'll do whatever it takes to unwind the reforms of this budget. If you're a working Australian who's looking forward to getting a $250 tax offset, the Leader of the Opposition is gunning for you. If you are a taxpayer looking forward to another tax cut, the Leader of the Opposition still doesn't want you to have that. When we talk about economics, we talk about it being a function of two things. It's a function of choices and of scarcity. And I think two things are really clear when it comes to those who sit opposite. The first is that they have made a choice, in their response to this budget so far, and that choice is not for everyday Australians. That choice is not for young people.”
“I think that quote proves that conviction politics for the Liberal Party of Australia is not just dead; it is buried and cremated, because, when you think about that quote, it isn't just the first Cirque-du-Soleil-worthy backflip that the member for Goldstein has made to date, because he made another one, just the other day, and that was that he's opened the door up to a potential Liberal, National and One Nation marriage—a terrifying prospect, but potentially not as terrifying as what the Leader of the Opposition said just yesterday. What the Leader of the Opposition said should have every everyday Australian shaking in their boots, because he said this: 'whatever it takes to unwind this budget'—'whatever it takes'.”
“I'd remind the member for Casey that only one side of this chamber voted against a tax cut for every taxpaying Australian last year. When we talk about this MPI in this debate today, I want to give you this quote again, because we heard it earlier in the day: … it's time to be honest: the tax system is screwing over young Australians. … it favours well-off, established interests against those trying to get ahead. … In short: if you work hard to get ahead, you get hit hard; if you live off assets, you don't. And you might think that that is a quote from the Treasurer. You might think that that is a quote from the Prime Minister. You might think that that is a quote from Minister Gallagher. But it's not. It's a quote from the person who moved this MPI—it's a quote from the member for Goldstein; it's a quote from the shadow treasurer.”
“When perpetrators retain substantial protected assets while survivors struggle financially, confidence in those systems is undermined—and confidence in those systems is important for every Australian, particularly those who've experienced the hurt that we are talking about today. People rightly expect our laws to reflect fairness, to reflect accountability and to reflect community standards. This legislation moves us closer to that. At the beginning of my remarks, I spoke about the seriousness and sensitivity of this debate. I also spoke about the survivors and the advocates whose persistence has brought this issue to this place and before the parliament. This bill will not undo the harm survivors have experienced—no legislation can. But it's an important step in the right direction.”
“In doing so, it protects both the integrity of the system and the principles of fairness and accountability that must always underpin it. This bill should also be understood as part of a broader journey of reform. It is a significant and necessary foundation. It closes a clear loophole, it sends a strong signal about the direction of reform and it establishes a framework that can be built upon in the future if additional changes are required. Importantly, it also acknowledges something many survivors have told us for years: justice systems and financial systems cannot operate separately from human consequences.”
“It reflects the long-term and responsible view that Labor took all those many years ago of Australians' future: every Australian deserves the dignity and security of an independent retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Over more than three decades, our superannuation system has strengthened retirement incomes. It has reduced pressure on the age pension. It has helped deliver greater security and peace of mind for millions and millions of Australians. But the purpose of superannuation was never to shield predators from accountability. This bill ensures that those convicted of the most serious offences cannot exploit protections within that superannuation system to avoid paying compensation that courts have determined are owed to victims-survivors.”
“The bill also includes a review mechanism once the reforms are in operation, and this is critical because legislation like this should not simply pass through parliament and then be forgotten. It needs to have teeth, and it needs to mean something. We have an obligation to ensure these measures are working effectively for survivors in practice. Reviewing the operation of the reforms provides an opportunity to identify whether barriers remain and whether further changes may be necessary in the future. Listening to the experiences of survivors does not stop at the passing of this legislation. It has to continue. We need to ensure that these laws work for the people that they are intended for. Superannuation is one of Labor's proudest legacies.”
“It reflects the understanding that lived experience must be central to policy development and to reform in this area. These are technically complex reforms. Superannuation law and bankruptcy law are highly specialised areas. Any changes must be carefully designed to ensure that they are enforceable, workable and consistent with broader legal concepts. This bill adopts a targeted approach. It focuses specifically on circumstances involving criminal convictions for child sexual abuse offences and unpaid compensation orders. That targeted design is important because it demonstrates that the government has sought to address a serious injustice while maintaining confidence in the broader superannuation framework.”
“Many victims-survivors have spent years and in some cases decades seeking accountability and recognition through systems that too often compounded their trauma rather than eased it. They have had to repeatedly revisit traumatic experiences in pursuit of justice, knowing outcomes were never guaranteed. That takes enormous strength. It takes enormous tenacity. And this parliament has a responsibility not only to listen to survivors but to act when the system is failing. When survivors tell us that a loophole is allowing perpetrators to avoid accountability, we should take that seriously. This legislation reflects that listening, but it also reflects what happens and what must happen after that listening, which is action to make sure that that listening is not in vain.”
“Again, this reform is about restoring balance, and it's about restoring fairness to the system. It is about ensuring that the law does not inadvertently protect perpetrators while leaving survivors without recourse. As I stated at the beginning of this speech, these reforms have not emerged in isolation. They are the result of sustained advocacy from survivors, from their families, from legal experts and from organisations that have worked tirelessly to expose where the system has fallen short. Many survivors who advocate for reform do so while carrying extraordinary personal pain, and the courage it takes to come forward, often years after the abuse occurred, can never be overstated.”
“Another important feature of this legislation is the amendment to bankruptcy laws to ensure compensation debts can survive bankruptcy proceedings. This is a significant reform. Bankruptcy exists for important reasons within our legal and our economic systems. But bankruptcy should never become a mechanism through which perpetrators can escape responsibility for causing serious harm to others. This bill sends a clear and necessary message: financial manoeuvring must not override moral and legal accountability in a fair system in this country. Where compensation has been ordered because of the devastating impacts of child sexual abuse, those debts should not simply disappear through bankruptcy while survivors continue living through the consequences.”
“For some survivors, the harm is not only emotional and psychological but deeply material as well. Some face barriers to stable employment and financial security directly connected to the abuse that they experienced. When compensation orders remain unpaid, it compounds that harm. It sends a message, whether intended or not, that the burden continues to fall on those who were harmed rather than those who caused the harm. It flips the accountability switch, and this legislation is intended to put it right. This bill seeks to rebalance that inequity. It recognises that compensation orders are not symbolic; they need to mean something and they need to be real. They are intended to provide real acknowledgement, real accountability and some measure of justice.”
“Nothing can stop the horrific experiences of survivors. But what we can do is listen to their experiences, understand what they need and take action. There is a growing recognition in our community that accountability is not only about securing a guilty verdict; it is also about ensuring meaningful redress for victims-survivors. For many survivors, the impacts of abuse do not end when criminal proceedings conclude. Child sexual abuse leaves deep and lifelong scars. Survivors often carry the effects of those scars into their adulthood, affecting their mental health, physical wellbeing, relationships, education, employment and financial security. The trauma does not simply disappear with the passing of time. Many survivors continue navigating its impacts day in and day out, often quietly and without adequate support.”
“The framework has been designed carefully and specifically. It applies in circumstances where there has been a criminal conviction and where compensation ordered by a court remains unpaid after a significant period of time. That matters, because reforms in this area must balance the need for justice with the integrity and stability of our superannuation system. Super exists to provide dignity and security in retirement. It is a famous Labor reform, but that principle cannot be distorted into a shield against accountability for serious criminal harm. This legislation recognises that financial systems should reflect community values and basic fairness. When this bill is passed, they will. One of the most important ideas underpinning this bill is that justice cannot stop at conviction alone.”
“They relive deeply traumatic experiences but may still be left without meaningful compensation, without meaningful redress, because assets remain protected inside superannuation. This needs to change, and this needs to change now. The law should never be allowed to operate in a way that allows those who have caused profound harm to retain significant protected assets while survivors are left carrying the financial consequences of that harm as well as the emotional and personal consequences of that harm. This bill changes that. It creates a framework that allows survivors of child sexual abuse offences to seek access through a court order to certain superannuation contributions made by a perpetrator where compensation debts remain unpaid. Importantly, this is not an unlimited or sweeping measure.”
“They are the result of a sustained advocacy from survivors, from families and from advocates who have worked for years to ensure that survivors would not be left without justice or meaningful compensation. It is because of them and for them that we are here today. This legislation takes an important step forward in addressing that injustice and ensuring that our legal and financial systems better reflect basic principles of fairness, accountability and dignity for those survivors. This bill closes a loophole that has undermined confidence in both our financial system and our justice system. Under the current framework, survivors may successfully pursue a compensation order through the courts by enduring lengthy legal processes, having to stand up and repeat their stories again and again and again.”
“Behind every piece of legislation are real people whose lives have been profoundly impacted, and this bill, the Treasury Laws Amendment (The Survivors Law) Bill 2026, is a stark reminder of that fact. At its core, this bill responds to a simple but fundamental principle: perpetrators of child sexual abuse should not be able to use financial structures to avoid accountability. For too long, a deeply unjust loophole in our system has allowed convicted offenders to shield wealth held in superannuation while survivors have been left unpaid the compensation that courts determined was owed to them. As the minister stated in his second reading speech, these reforms have not emerged in isolation.”
“Leadership is not about how you tear down the show, although members opposite might be forgiven for thinking that, given what we've seen over the past 12 months. Leadership is not about how loudly you shout. Leadership is not about how much fear you can whip up with talking points designed not to back in Australians but to reap advantage from a tough time, when the chips are down. Deputy Speaker Claydon, if you want to know about leadership and if you want to know what this place is about, all you need to do is look up, because that skylight right there was put there to remind us that this place is more than just the people sitting in this chamber. It's about what's out there. It's about the Australian people. That's what leadership is. I remind members opposite to look up.”
“We are underwriting fuel purchases being made on the international market, to make sure we can get more fuel into our country and drive up supply. We are making sure that truckies are being treated fairly. We are releasing 20 per cent of our fuel reserves—reserves that are now held in this country—to make sure that we have more supply in the pot. What I would say to those opposite is that talk without action is the natural enemy of reform. Leadership demands more than just a title. My message to those who sit opposite is this. This is the moment to get on board with Australia, this is the moment to choose the Australian people, this is the moment to choose our nation, this is the moment to be constructive, this is the moment to resist populism and this is the moment to back our country in.”
“We know it's impacting on farmers. We know that it's impacting on businesses. The test for leadership in challenging times is listening, it's setting out a vision for our country and it's making that vision a reality. We've pulled together leaders and experts—this Prime Minister, this Albanese Labor government to listen. We've set out a clear plan for that vision, and we are undertaking the practical action to make that plan a reality for the Australian people. In that practical plan, we are halving the fuel excise to make sure that every litre is cheaper. We are taking the heavy-vehicle road user charge down to zero to make sure that trucks can get to their destination. We are cracking down on those seeking to take advantage of a crisis in the Middle East.”
“Australians are so often defined by how we treat each other, by how we treat other people. In ordinary times, that might be described as friendly. It might be described as easygoing. It might be described as being a good mate. But, in more challenging times, those traits of mateship often transform. They transform into resilience, they transform into dependability and they transform into being someone who stands ready when things are tough and when times are hard. That's what happens in challenging times, and there is no doubt that these are challenging times. There's a war in the Middle East right now, a conflict that is happening that originated so far from our golden sandy shores but that nonetheless is having an impact on the global economy. And it's also having an impact here at home. We know it's impacting on families.”
“Living standards grew two per cent to the December 2025 quarter, and OECD data shows that they are growing at more than twice the average of major advanced economies. More than 1.2 million jobs have been created under this government, with more than four out of five in the private sector. Average unemployment under the Albanese government is the lowest of any government in half a century. In my first speech to this place I said that the economy has to work for everyday people every day. That has never been truer than now and has never been truer than of this Labor government.”
“Real wages were going backwards by 3.5 per cent in May 2022 and living standards were falling by 1.5 per cent. Labor has always championed working people. That's why, since we came to government in 2022, Labor's recommendations for real wage increases have seen cumulative increases of more than $9,000 for minimum wage workers. The minimum wage is now $175.40 a week higher than in May 2022. That's real money, a real impact on people's hip pockets and a real shot in the arm for workers who need it most. The LISTO is increasing by $310 to $810. We've seen the longest consecutive period of annual wage growth—eight quarters in a decade. Annual nominal wages have grown above three per cent for 14 quarters in a row.”
“They work fewer hours, they have fewer financial buffers to protect them, to fall back on in tough times. These workers are more susceptible to cost-of-living challenges. And we know right now that the cost of living is biting. It's impacting on people. And whether that's increased fuel prices, whether that's higher grocery prices, whether that's bigger bills, these are the working Australians who need dignity and a fair wage more than anything. This submission is in contrast to what those across the chamber did when they were in government. Low wages were a deliberate design feature of their economic architecture. Annual real wages fell again and again and again and again for five consecutive quarters before Labor came to office.”
“These workers deserve a good life and dignity, and Labor has always been their champion. Labor's submission to the Annual Wage Review with the Fair Work Commission is what I want to talk about tonight because it's an economically sustainable real wage increase that this Labor government is asking for which will help lift living standards of some of the lowest paid workers in our Australian community. It's consistent with the RBA's target band, and the government's submission does not recommend a specific wage. We understand that the Fair Work Commission is independent, but what we seek is that the Fair Work Commission considers the economic conditions, the needs of those who are paid lowly and the various stakeholder submissions that back those workers in. Why? Because so many award wage workers are in low paid roles.”
“Tak, formand, and thank you, Mr Speaker. There are 2.7 million Australians on the minimum wage and award reliant. They are the Australians that help keep our communities clean. They are the Australians that help look after and educate our littlest ones. They are the Australians that help prepare food. In Queensland there are 561,600 of them, over 22 per cent of the workforce. In my local electorate of Moreton on Brisbane's south side, there are 7,000 people on the Retail Industry Award, and they work for organisations including St David's Neighbourhood Centre, which uses the social and community services award, the SCHACDS award, for staff providing vital community services, services that we need and services that our community uses every single day. These workers matter. These workers deserve fair wages.”
“We have a national fuel security plan, and this government is focused not on zingers but on rolling it out for real people.”
“Seventhly, we're underwriting private purchases of fuel on international markets to make sure that we can get as much fuel into our country as we need—again, to make sure that we have enough supply to ease the burden on Australian people. My message to the people of Grey is this: that is our plan. It is a plan to keep Australia moving. It is a plan to get fuel into our country and to make sure that, when it gets here, it goes to the places that need it most. It is a plan to boost supply. It is a plan to make fuel cheaper. It is a plan to ensure that people have the relief they need. We know that people are doing it incredibly tough right now—not just when it comes to fuel but also at the check-out when they pay their bills.”
“Fourthly, we're cracking down on unscrupulous actors who would take advantage of a crisis and a war in the Middle East for their own commercial gain. And that is not on. We believe not only that the ACCC should have the ability to have on-the-spot fines. We also believe that those penalties should be harsh. They should mean something and they should hold people accountable. And that's why we've doubled them. Fifthly, we've established a taskforce. We're working with leaders from across the breadth and depth of our country, taking expert advice and making sure that there is a coordinated approach. Sixthly, we're giving truckies a fair go—making sure, while our supply chains might be doing it tough, that truckies aren't.”
“It means that every single litre of fuel will be cheaper until the end of June, and that means that Australians will get instantaneous relief when it comes to their hip pockets. Secondly, we're altering the fuel standards, making sure that we are keeping more fuel in our country so that we can have more supply in the market. Thirdly, we're releasing 20 per cent of our stockpile, a stockpile that the Albanese Labor government have ensured is held in this country, in Australia, because having fuel reserves in Australia is critical to being able to release fuel reserves when we need them most, like right now. In contrast, what we know is that those opposite and the now leader of the opposition believed that those fuel reserves should be held on another continent, in Texas.”
“The first is to reassure Australians that a plan is in place, and the second is to urgently outline its fuel security strategy. I think it is appropriate, given that the member for Grey may not have had the opportunity to tell his local constituents what that plan is, to go through it today so that they can know and understand it. It's a plan that has four stages: to plan and prepare; to keep Australia moving to make sure that things are getting from point A to point B; to take targeted action; and to protect critical services for all Australians. I want to talk about a number of things that we are doing, in practical terms, that help everyday Australians every day. Firstly, we're halving the fuel excise, something that was announced today. Halving the fuel excise for the next three months means a few things.”
“Unlike the member for Grey, I haven't been busy coming up with zingers like 'lake of make belief'. What I've been doing is working through what the people of Grey might need at an incredibly difficult time—what the mums and dads who rely on fuel to get to school, to get to sport and to get to their jobs every day in Grey might need; what the farmers and other people involved in the supply chain that help us get food to our grocery stores and from the grocery stores to the table might need; and what our health professionals, our aged-care professionals and people who support our communities every day, who need fuel, might need. As I look at the private member's business before us, I note that the member for Grey has raised two things, both here and in his contribution.”
“While we were there, we signed new bricks that are going to go towards making the next extension of that temple to make it bigger and better and to make sure that more people can be welcomed through its doors. There was lion dancing, and there was food, and there were people from all across our community who made it special. This Easter, my daughter Margaret has already got her Easter basket selected and placed out so that, when we go to all of the local Easter egg hunts put on by local churches, she'll have the opportunity to go and visit both an Easter Bunny and the kind volunteers putting those events on. We know that it's a challenging time across the globe, but celebrating and bringing people together—those solutions are local. They're special.”
“Just last weekend, we celebrated Eid, and we celebrated it with Crescent AusIndia with Yousuf, who heads up that organisation, and it was held at the Islamic College of Brisbane, a college, like so many schools, where the kids come together as a community and help cook food. They're actually very good at futsal, and their champion futsal players are their women's side. The person who leads that school is Ali Kadri. At Crescent AusIndia's Eid festival, we got to hear the electric sitar. We also got to eat at Baskin-Robbins ice cream while we were there too. It's that moulding of things within our community that makes it special. We got to celebrate Chinese New Year at the Chung Tian Temple with the Venerable Manwang and President Michelle Lo. It's an enormous temple.”
“I want to take the opportunity to thank the member for Barton for bringing this important private members' business to this place, because not only is it an opportunity to showcase our own local communities, but it's also an opportunity to ensure that their voices are heard in this place, in the nation's capital. I'm incredibly proud to be an Australian of Chinese heritage, and I'm incredibly proud that, along with the member for Barton and so many others, the government benches look like Australia. They're what Australia looks like. We have all different heritages, but we come together with the same values, and those values are Australian values. From my local electorate, I want to showcase just a few of the fantastic events that local organisations have been running.”
“So it doesn't matter whether you say, 'Xin nian kuai le,' whether you say, 'Eid Mubarak' or whether you're about to say, 'Happy Easter.' These are all celebrations that bring our southside community in Brisbane together, and it's a celebration of what makes us so unique and strong. These celebrations are not so dissimilar, because each and every one of them brings together our community, brings together friends and brings together the family, and we celebrate with food, often too much food. I think what they really demonstrate is that our similarities are so many more than our differences.”
“A very special thing happened in 2026—a very rare thing. We saw a thing that many people have never seen before—indeed, that no living person has seen before—because this year we saw the coalescence of Lunar New Year, of Lent and of Ramadan. These are celebrations that are felt widely and strongly in my local community, a local community that is the most multicultural in all of Queensland. In the seat of Moreton, 39.1 per cent of people were born overseas and 35.9 per cent of people speak a language other than English at home. We have so many different ethnicities and faiths that we celebrate in our community together.”
“I want to congratulate and thank the members of the executive there—Ankur, Chirag and Nimisha—for all that they do for the club that's been around since 1974 and boasts 270 members from super sevens to elite competitors and many more joining the junior and master blasters programs. It's almost entirely volunteer run, with strong parent involvement in coaching, umpiring, scoring and administration. To those players, I say congratulations to all of you. Well done.”
“The premise is a simple one: get together with your neighbours, share some food, play some games and meet some new friends. That is the premise of Neighbour Day. It was held in Kuraby this last Saturday just gone, and it was put together by a fantastic community champion, Faiz Ahmed. It's been an annual event since 2021. Whether you're riding on a pony, playing backyard cricket or sharing a snag, it brings our community together in a special way that reduces isolation, strengthens local ties, improves community wellbeing and bolsters social cohesion. This last Saturday just gone, kids were proudly displaying their medals and holding up their trophies. We heard about one player hitting a half century of just 22 balls, and we were there to celebrate players at the Macgregor cricket club awards.”
“Commonwealth powers will only be used to help acquire additional supply for fuel security and where cost would be prohibitive for private suppliers to source on commercial terms without government support. There is no doubt that fuel is impacting families. There is no doubt that fuel is impacting the movement of goods that Australians need. And there is no doubt that something needs to be done about it. That is why this Albanese Labor government is focused on getting fuel into the country, on keeping fuel in the country, on driving up supply and on cracking down on those who seek to take advantage of a difficult situation for so many. This Labor government is focused on making that a reality and taking action on that plan.”
“It's an issue that Australians are feeling every day at their hip pockets, and this government has chosen to have a plan and to take action on that plan to ensure that, when it comes to fuel, we are driving more supply to try and give relief to families who need it most. More recently, we have seen an amendment to the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Act to enable the government to underwrite the purchase of new fuel from international markets by the private sector. Export Finance Australia will allow fuel suppliers to enter contracts of insurance or indemnity, to give guarantees, to make loans or to enter arrangements needed to help secure supply from those international markets.”
“We've released 20 per cent of Australia's fuel reserves, targeted at the regions where people need that fuel the most. We've temporarily changed petrol and diesel standards to get more supply into the market so that we can ease prices, and we've been engaging with international partners to keep that supply flowing. We've appointed the National Fuel Supply Taskforce Coordinator, Anthea Harris, and that role is to coordinate the federal government and states and territories on security and the supply chain, to update it on supply outlook and distribution, and to support state and territory governments to get fuels to their regions. This is an incredibly serious issue.”
“I think it's worth looking at what choices can be made on this side of the chamber and on that side of the chamber, because, while the Albanese Labor government has chosen to make sure that our fuel reserves are here in this country, in Australia—in Brisbane and in Victoria—the opposition chose to send those fuel reserves overseas, over to the other side of the world, on a different continent. While the opposition were in power, they closed down urea facilities. They chose to do that, and this government has chosen to invest in opening a new one. When the opposition were in government, they oversaw the closure of four out of six refineries, and the Labor government is now working to ensure that we underwrite international fuel purchases. We've passed legislation to double penalties for petrol companies for price gouging to $100 million.”
“They say that economics is about choices, and right now Australians are staring down the barrel of some pretty challenging choices—choices that no-one should have to make. Australians are hurting when it comes to the bowser, they're hurting when it comes to the checkout and they're hurting when they go to pay their bills. Cost of living is the No. 1 issue in this country. It's the No. 1 thing on people's minds every single day, and this is a government that chooses to focus on cost-of-living relief all the time. It's a government that has its eye firmly fixed on ensuring that everything we do is focused on giving the Australian people the relief that they need at a challenging time.”
“What beggars belief in this place is that those opposite oversaw the closure of two-thirds of the country's refineries. What beggars belief in this place is that the opposition stored fuel reserves on the other side of the globe, on the other side of the world, on another continent. And what beggars belief is that they oversaw the closures of urea facilities. Australians deserve better than that.”
“It's why we've released 20 per cent of the baseline stockholding, it's why we brought our reserves back to this country so that they could be accessed when Australians needed them and it's why we're underwriting the purchase of fuel being sold on international markets by the private sector. Second is getting fuel to the people who need it, and that's why we were in this place last week moving legislation to ensure that truck drivers are treated fairly and to ensure that the movement of goods is protected through a difficult time. It's why this government has been a driver of coordination not just between experts and between stakeholders but between leaders across our country, with a taskforce designed to make sure that we continue to coordinate, continue to take action and continue to roll out that plan.”
“It's important that we take that impact seriously and that we act, which is what the Albanese Labor government is doing. Right now there is a war in the Middle East. There is global uncertainty, and this is being felt not just in our country but in so many different places across the world. What that demands is not cheap talk. What that demands is not puffery from the member for Forrest. What it demands is a plan and putting that plan into action, and the Albanese Labor government has done just that. We are not only globally well placed but we have also focused on three core things to make sure that we can get Australians the relief that they need. First, we know that we need to get fuel into this country and we need to keep fuel in this country, and that's why the Albanese Labor government has temporarily amended the fuel standards.”
“I tell you what: right now is not the time for that kind of contribution, because right now is a serious time. Fuel is not just unleaded and it's not just diesel either. Fuel is what helps us get from home to work and back again, fuel is what helps us get produce from farms to the supermarket to people's tables, fuel is what helps cart the kids around to Saturday morning sports and fuel is what helps us make sure that Australians get the support they need when their health is in trouble. It is a critical part of our way of life in this country, and right now Australians are truly feeling the rise of those costs. They're feeling it at the hip pocket. They're also feeling it when they go to the grocery store. They're feeling it when they pay their bills. This is something that is impacting so many people and families across our country.”