Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to rise and commend the government on this very important bill. It is so important for our fuel security, for our energy security and for our national security. As a very proud Geelong based senator for Victoria, I was delighted to join energy minister Angus Taylor a few weeks ago in touring Viva Energy's Geelong refinery to celebrate this wonderful package, which has delivered such a massive win for Geelong workers. The Geelong refinery is home to some 700 local jobs. It is now playing a pivotal role in Australia's fuel security, as it produces half of Victoria's fuel.

This package is so vital for the Geelong refinery and for manufacturing workers. To those opposite, particularly to Labor senators: the AMWU and the AWU have worked you out. They were rolling their eyes. There has never been any such proposal from Labor when it was in government. Only the Morrison government is delivering this security, through a variable fuel security service payment, funded by the government, which recognises the fuel security benefits that our two refineries provide to all Australians; up to $302 million to support major refinery infrastructure to deliver better production and better quality fuels, bringing that forward by three years; and the $50.7 million for the implementation and monitoring of the payment, which includes a minimum stockholding obligation.

This is an incredibly important bill for our nation. We heard nothing from Labor last year when the lockdown, month after month in Victoria, brought Viva Energy and the Geelong refinery to its knees. We saw none of the so-called empathy for manufacturing workers when Mr Marles declared that the end of thermal coal would be a good thing. We have seen policy after policy from Labor which demonstrates it does not care about energy security. The carbon tax, the 50 per cent RET, the 45 per cent emissions reductions target—in all of these policies, union members across this country have worked out that Labor has deserted them. Even the Andrews Labor government, when it was asked to make a contribution to the Geelong refinery, turned its back on one of Geelong's most important manufacturers. This is a very important piece of legislation. It will make a huge difference. I commend these bills to the Senate.

Debate interrupted.