Chris Bowen (Prospect, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

One of the most respected competition economists in the country, Professor Stephen King, came to the Expenditure Review Committee of the cabinet, and the views of departments were put to them—and they satisfied those concerns. When you look at the concerns of some of the departments, you will see they said, ‘We think that more work needs to be done on and more rigour needs to be put into the initial ACCC report,’ and the ACCC agreed and did that further work, and it came up as being robust.

We were elected to make a difference. We were elected to make the tough decisions. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet did not appear on a ballot paper on 24 November. The department of finance did not appear on a ballot paper on 24 November. An Australian Labor Party which believed in making a difference for the Australian people appeared on a ballot paper on 24 November. We said when we announced FuelWatch that this would be controversial. We said when we announced FuelWatch that this would draw criticism. But we said, ‘This is a bold step, and we do not walk away from tough decisions; we do not walk away from bold decisions.’ We knew that vested interests would rail against FuelWatch. We knew that people whose business was to share information on a secretive website would rail against FuelWatch. What we did not expect was that the opposition would be brought into their arguments hook, line and sinker. We do not outsource our policy development to people with a vested interest. If you choose to, that is your interest. If you choose to, that is your right. We will never outsource our policy development to people with vested interests.

We, on the other hand, give the ACCC some teeth. We, on the other hand, went to the election with a policy of saying that the ACCC is the people’s watchdog. The ACCC was neutered by the Howard government. The ACCC has asked for increased powers, and those were denied to them by the honourable members who sat opposite. The ACCC begged for increased powers and begged for the law to be improved. The opposition when in government would not do it, and we are doing it. We appointed a petrol commissioner to hold oil companies to account and to ensure transparency in the marketplace. We then said to the ACCC and to the petrol commissioner, ‘What more powers do you need?’ The ACCC said, ‘We are very concerned about the way the fuel market operates. We are very concerned that there is a situation in place which is conducive to anticompetitive coordination. We are very concerned that there is a website on which retailers are sharing information and the motorist is locked out.’ The ACCC said, We want to do something about that, and we think FuelWatch is the right answer.’ And what is the opposition’s response?  To say no to the regulator, to say no to the petrol commissioner—to neuter the people’s watchdog. That is what they do and, and I suspect that is why they are sitting over there. They are sitting over there because they sat in Canberra and they lost touch with the Australian people—something we will not do.

They did not go around and hold cabinet meetings in Penrith to hear about the cost-of-living pressures. They did not go around and hold cabinet meetings in Mackay to hear about the cost-of-living pressures, because they were out of touch. Well we are not and we never will be! We know what concerns the Australian people and we will always consider any policy proposal which helps them. We will put it through a rigorous analysis and we will not skirt around the cabinet process. We will not say, ‘This is a $10 billion plan, but you can’t tell Treasury and we won’t take it to cabinet.’ We will not say, ‘We’ll just secretly work this up in the Prime Minister’s office.’ We will go through the process, but at the end of the day we will make the decisions. We will decide, based on the evidence and based on what the Australian people tell us is concerning them, what the appropriate policy response is. They say, ‘Ignore the ACCC, ignore the Australian people.’ But we say, ‘No, we have a different approach.’

We hear a lot from the Leader of the Opposition, a lot of crocodile tears about real people. We heard it the other day. The Leader of the Opposition loves the fuel price cycle. Based on his comments, he loves the fact that fuel prices can spike on a Thursday or a Friday before a long weekend or a normal weekend and the Australian people have no notice. I am the member of the government who, on behalf of the government, gets the emails on petrol prices. I am the member of the government who responds to the concerns of the Australian people, and I can tell you what the real people think about your plans. Let me share a few with the House. Listen to this, from a real person from the electorate of Cunningham:

I’m really angry that profiteering isn’t being stamped out. To change the cost of petrol from $1.35 a litre to $1.47 a litre, a jump of 12c between 3 o’clock and 4 o’clock, just after children are getting out of school and just before the workers from BlueScope Steel change shift at 4pm, is indeed profiteering, and anybody who says it isn’t is obviously getting a bonus from such practices. Prices should not be allowed to change during the day.

That is from a real person, saying to us, ‘Please do something.’ There has been a very interesting debate on news.com over the last couple of days about this—real people telling their views. Well the House should hear from some real people. Brad from Perth says:

Wake up Dr Nelson! FuelWatch works extremely well in Western Australia. Also, think outside the square too. If it even breaks the discount cycle, people can fill up any time they want. It’s good for the environment!

Todd from the Sydney says:

A 24-hour notice for fuel prices is a good step. It will further assist us to manage our already stretched budgets.

Jules from WA says:

It works fine here in Perth. You know the day before when prices are going up so you can go and fill up with the cheapest petrol. Stop complaining about nothing.

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