Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction. Will the minister outline to the House how the decisive action the Morrison government is taking to boost our fuel security is helping to set the foundation for our continued economic recovery from COVID-19 by ensuring Australians have access to the affordable, reliable and secure energy we rely on? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for O'Connor for his question. As a proud farmer and regional member, he knows the importance of energy security for keeping the economy moving in his electorate and right across Australia. He knows that the truckies, the tradies, the farmers and the miners in places like Collie and the Goldfields absolutely rely on energy security and liquid fuel security to be able to do their jobs every day.

While Australia's fuel supplies have remained secure and affordable throughout the pandemic, we need to be vigilant in the event of the worst-case scenarios that might come upon us. Our fuel security package is focused on dealing with exactly that. It has a number of components. The first is a minimum stock obligation, which will require a 40 per cent increase in diesel stock holdings onshore here in Australia. We're investing, of course, in onshore diesel storage to make sure that there are storages there for that additional diesel holding. But we've also locked in the future of our refineries—the refinery in Geelong and the refinery in Brisbane. Those refineries are not just secured for the future; they're secured for investment to make our fuel cleaner. That's all part of the package—

Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Kingsford Smith will leave under 94(a).

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That will ensure that we have the sovereign capability, the self-sufficiency, when we really need it. That builds on the broader work we're doing on energy security right across the country to make sure we have the supplies of generation-of-electricity energy when we really need it. We're ensuring that Australians have what they need.

I was asked about alternative approaches. There are at least two. On the one hand, there's the member for Hunter and his Otis group mates. On the other hand, there's a group the member for Hunter has called the 'excessive progressives'—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister had better come quickly to what the alternative is, not give us another clip that he's read in the newspaper. He's got to come to what the alternative is.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a very important question: what are the policies of the 'excessive progressives', who we are told are on the march? We know they are against natural gas. We know they're against jobs in the Hunter Valley.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker, on relevance. If he wants to talk about alternatives, he can talk about the two refineries that have shut on his watch—two out of four.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The minister has the call. That is not a valid point of order.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not going to talk about Clyde and Kurnell, which closed when the Leader of the Opposition was the transport minister, but I will talk about the policies of those opposite, including shutting down jobs in the Hunter Valley, opposing clean technology jobs through reforms of ARENA and opposing additional investment in ARENA. We're getting on with the job of energy security and fuel security. Those opposite are opposing us. (Time expired)