Wednesday, 18 March 2026

 Emma KEALY (Lowan) (19:06): (1591) My adjournment matter is to the Premier, and the action I seek is for the Premier to urgently work with the federal government to release fuel held under the minimum stockholding obligation into the spot market, with a priority on supporting independent distributors in regional Victoria. This afternoon most of my National Party colleagues have been receiving a stream of text messages from distressed farmers and from people who live in regional communities that the community had run out of fuel. In Maryborough, Barham, Kerang and Maffra we are hearing of deliveries of fuel not occurring to farmers. Well, it is putting enormous pressure on our rural communities, who do not have a choice of whether they catch a train to work or to school or how they get around in the community. And particularly this is putting pressure on our agricultural communities.

Farmers are doing it hard at the moment. They are facing incredible cost-of-business pressures. Of course we are looking at farmers who are facing a seeding and spraying time in their cycle over the year. We have got farmers who are managing stock, who use diesel and rely on fuels to be able to mix their feed. There are so many things on-farm that rely on fuel. The fact of the matter is that without fuel there is no food. We have heard a lot from the government today around price capping. It does not matter what the cost is on fuel if it is capped or if you cannot fill up at the bowser – if there is no fuel it does not matter what price it is. We are grinding regional Victoria to a halt without the continuity of supply. There is a pathway forward. We know that there is the minimum stockholding obligation available. That could be prioritised to support our independent distributors in regional Victoria to make sure that everybody can get their fair share of fuel; to make sure that we are supporting agriculture, that we are supporting the industry that relies on diesel and other fuels; and to make sure that we are supporting our freight sector. This should be the number one priority for the government at this point in time. I urge the Premier to take this action, to work with the federal government and to let us get the fuel that is held for exactly this reason to the people in regional Victoria who need it right now.