The Nationals’ Melina Bath told state parliament that regional Victoria faces an escalating diesel crisis and demanded the Allan Government prioritise fuel supplies outside of the tram tracks to keep agriculture and transport moving.
Ms Bath said farmers across eastern Victoria rely on a stable and sufficient supply of diesel to sow, grow and harvest crops, manage livestock operations and transport produce.
“Without immediate action that prioritises fuel supply regionally, our food supply chain is at direct and imminent risk.
“For weeks, The Nationals consistently called for the fuel excise to be halved before it was actioned, but we also called on Labor to prioritise regional fuel security to safeguard food production and the transportation industry.
“Despite repeated clear warnings on the unfolding crisis, the state and commonwealth Labor governments continued to ignore the severity of the fuel shortages outside metropolitan areas.
“Diesel scarcity and high prices are already disrupting agriculture, driving up operational costs and threatening the availability and affordability of essential goods on our supermarket shelves.”
Ms Bath said every delay in Labor’s response places greater pressure on farmers who cannot operate.
“It also negatively impacts every household who depend on a reliable and affordable food supply.
“This is a wicked problem, but the government must support the agricultural sector to ease pressure on struggling families during a cost of living crisis.
“Fuel security is a fundamental necessity for the functioning of farms, freight, emergency services and regional and peri-urban households – it’s not optional.
“Labor must take decisive steps to ensure fuel security is prioritised to protect the people who feed our state – anything less is an unacceptable failure of the Premier’s leadership.”
