❓ Ms Hanns questions the Minister about the Cook government's use of emergency powers to secure WA's fuel supply. The Minister outlines actions taken, including compelling fuel companies to provide supply chain information and investing in a state-owned diesel stockpile in regional areas.
AnsweredQoN 200Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Fuel supply—Security
200. Ms Jodie Hanns to
the Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation:
I refer to the Cook
government's use of emergency powers and action to secure fuel for Western
Australia.
(1) Can the minister please outline to
the house how the Cook Labor government is utilising its powers to ensure that we
have appropriate fuel reserves?
(2) Can the minister outline what actions
have been taken to ensure that fuel is flowing where it is needed the most?
200. Ms Jodie Hanns to
the Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation:
I refer to the Cook
government's use of emergency powers and action to secure fuel for Western
Australia.
(1) Can the minister please outline to
the house how the Cook Labor government is utilising its powers to ensure that we
have appropriate fuel reserves?
(2) Can the minister outline what actions
have been taken to ensure that fuel is flowing where it is needed the most?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the question. We
know that Western Australians need to have confidence that when they need the
fuel, whether it is to get to work, visit a loved one or seed their farm, they
can access that fuel when they need it. Whilst this conflict is happening a
long way away, it has really significant local implications and fuel security
in Western Australia is non-negotiable. We have strong agricultural and mining
sectors and hundreds of remote communities that rely on diesel in particular.
Western Australia is the largest single jurisdiction in the world and has incredibly
complex supply chains. This government, led by the Premier, is no stranger to
making hard decisions that will always put Western Australians first and give
Western Australians the confidence that they need that we will take these
challenges seriously and address them head on. Our fuel supply chains are
opaque, they are complex and they are tied up in thousands of confidential
contracts. No single operator or single entity has the whole picture, which is
why we knew as a government that if we were going to tackle some of the
complexities of the distribution areas, we needed to have the whole picture to
be able to see when it comes in from boats on the vessels in Kwinana, when it
gets to the distributors and then into those second and third-tier
distributors. We have triggered these emergency powers under the Fuel, Energy
and Power Resources Act to compel fuel companies to provide that information
about their supply chains. They were providing information, but a lot of it, as
I said, is tied up in confidential contracts. This emergency order has released them from the obligation of keeping that
information confidential and they are able to provide it to the government.
The powers have worked. We now
have the most detailed picture of our supply chain of any state or territory.
The feedback we have had is that the information we have sought is the most
detailed. Those companies are now reporting every week, whilst the orders are
in place, so that we can continue to monitor the supply chain and understand
where there are potential weaknesses, where there is fragility in the supply
chain and where we can come in and build that extra resilience.
We are going further. Today we
announced that the government will be investing in a state government–owned
stockpile of diesel to be positioned in regional areas. The first of that is
four million litres to be positioned at Wyndham port. There are some incredibly
vulnerable communities and areas in that East Kimberley region.
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Four days, minister; that's
how much that'll get you.
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: They are incredibly
vulnerable communities, and it is not about volume.
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Four days.
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: I will take the bait. It is
not about volume; it is about what you do with it. It is not about how much it
is; it is about where it goes.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: The volumes that people need
are not huge, particularly in those remote communities, but the supply chains
are fragile and they are infrequent at times. This allows us to get fuel out to
those communities when they need it and when they need it quickly. We know that
the conflict in the Middle East is not over, and even if it were to be resolved
in the next week or so, it is clear that there are going to be lasting impacts
and that jurisdictions around the world will be working to secure their
supplies and becoming less reliant on the Middle Eastern crude supply. We are
taking this seriously. We are taking this challenge seriously. We are getting
ahead of that demand curve and making sure we have everything that we need in
place should we need to move to the next stage of the fuel security plan.
know that Western Australians need to have confidence that when they need the
fuel, whether it is to get to work, visit a loved one or seed their farm, they
can access that fuel when they need it. Whilst this conflict is happening a
long way away, it has really significant local implications and fuel security
in Western Australia is non-negotiable. We have strong agricultural and mining
sectors and hundreds of remote communities that rely on diesel in particular.
Western Australia is the largest single jurisdiction in the world and has incredibly
complex supply chains. This government, led by the Premier, is no stranger to
making hard decisions that will always put Western Australians first and give
Western Australians the confidence that they need that we will take these
challenges seriously and address them head on. Our fuel supply chains are
opaque, they are complex and they are tied up in thousands of confidential
contracts. No single operator or single entity has the whole picture, which is
why we knew as a government that if we were going to tackle some of the
complexities of the distribution areas, we needed to have the whole picture to
be able to see when it comes in from boats on the vessels in Kwinana, when it
gets to the distributors and then into those second and third-tier
distributors. We have triggered these emergency powers under the Fuel, Energy
and Power Resources Act to compel fuel companies to provide that information
about their supply chains. They were providing information, but a lot of it, as
I said, is tied up in confidential contracts. This emergency order has released them from the obligation of keeping that
information confidential and they are able to provide it to the government.
The powers have worked. We now
have the most detailed picture of our supply chain of any state or territory.
The feedback we have had is that the information we have sought is the most
detailed. Those companies are now reporting every week, whilst the orders are
in place, so that we can continue to monitor the supply chain and understand
where there are potential weaknesses, where there is fragility in the supply
chain and where we can come in and build that extra resilience.
We are going further. Today we
announced that the government will be investing in a state government–owned
stockpile of diesel to be positioned in regional areas. The first of that is
four million litres to be positioned at Wyndham port. There are some incredibly
vulnerable communities and areas in that East Kimberley region.
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Four days, minister; that's
how much that'll get you.
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: They are incredibly
vulnerable communities, and it is not about volume.
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Four days.
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: I will take the bait. It is
not about volume; it is about what you do with it. It is not about how much it
is; it is about where it goes.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: The volumes that people need
are not huge, particularly in those remote communities, but the supply chains
are fragile and they are infrequent at times. This allows us to get fuel out to
those communities when they need it and when they need it quickly. We know that
the conflict in the Middle East is not over, and even if it were to be resolved
in the next week or so, it is clear that there are going to be lasting impacts
and that jurisdictions around the world will be working to secure their
supplies and becoming less reliant on the Middle Eastern crude supply. We are
taking this seriously. We are taking this challenge seriously. We are getting
ahead of that demand curve and making sure we have everything that we need in
place should we need to move to the next stage of the fuel security plan.
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