The NFF is sending reports of regional fuel shortages to the Albanese Government

THE National Farmers Federation expects the Albanese Government to be ready to potentially prioritise food supply if the fuel shortage situation worsens and emergency powers are required.

Farmer organisations are funnelling ongoing reports of regional and farming sector fuel shortages to the Federal Government.

But despite assurances of regional supply prioritisation by Chris Bowen and monitoring by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission there seems little proof of relief from the domestic fuel price issues linked to the United States-Israel war with Iran.

Last week the government announced a 20pc relaxation of the “minimum stock obligation” (MSO), which requires big oil companies to keep a certain amount of fuel in reserve. Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the minimum stock obligation will be reduced for each company “in return for an undertaking from them that they will work within the constraints they have and as cooperatively as they can, to ensure that this extra supply flows to the regions of shortage.”

At the same time, the ACCC said it will take action for misleading or deceptive conduct around the steep and rapid increase in prices by individual retailers, or breaches of competition laws.

Today ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb chair confirmed the commission is investigating reports of reports of alleged anti-competitive behaviour, following concern about the availability of fuel in regional areas

And today after a National Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the appointment of former Energy Security Board head Anthea Harris as the country’s fuel supply task force co-ordinator.

Mr Albanese told reporters there is not less fuel in Australia today than there was three weeks ago, claiming fuel shortage were due to increased demand rather than less supply.

“Every single ship that was due to land here has landed here, there is not less supply,” he said.

No room for bad behaviour – McIntyre

NFF president Hamish McIntyre.

NFF president Hamish McIntyre said the federation welcomes the appointment of Anthea Harris as the fuel supply taskforce coordinator and the ACCC’s announcement it is moving quickly to investigate allegations of anti-competitive conduct by major fuel suppliers, particularly in the regional diesel market.

“At a time of high uncertainty, there is no room for bad behaviour.

“If misconduct is found, farmers and regional communities expect the ACCC to take strong action.”

Mr McIntyre said a national coordinator proved effective during the Covid pandemic, “and now we urge the government not to waste a moment in getting fuel to the farmers and fishers who need it most.”

“We acknowledge the global factors at the core of these issues, and that the need for a calm and considered approach to supply chain issues is imperative in responding to global trade and import disruptions,” he said.

“But the reality is empty pumps and unfilled diesel orders are adding real stress to farmers working within tight harvest and planting windows.

“The government must provide clear and timely information on how we will get diesel flowing into the regions and what triggers will see further action if these issues continue to persist,” Mr McIntyre said.

“We continue to feed reports from our members directly to government to ensure their experiences inform decision-making.”

A question to Mr McIntyre about whether the NFF or its members had seen any evidence that Chris Bowen’s assurances or ACCC monitoring has improved the fuel availability situation for regional areas and farmers was not directly answered. Nor did the NFF state whether it had any confidence that the appointment of a fuel supply taskforce coordinator will make any difference to the situation, or how long it would wait before it called out the effectiveness of government action on fuel availability for the regions and farmers.

However, Mr McIntyre said the government has worked proactively with the federation, but a crisis situation will always expose gaps.

“Through our members, we’re hearing about empty fuel stations and diesel orders that are going unfilled and we’re feeding that information directly back to government.

“In response, we’ve seen announcements such as access to Australia’s strategic fuel reserves,” Mr McIntyre said.

“But we know it’s stressful on the ground and if the situation worsens, we expect the government to be ready to pull other available levers, including prioritising food supply should emergency powers be required.

“The NFF has been a leading national voice shining a spotlight on the issues facing not just farmers, but regional Australians more broadly. We will continue to do so.”