ANDREW COLLINS, HOST: First to the Federal Fuel Security Roundtable held earlier today in Canberra. The Federal Minister for Industry and Innovation, Tim Ayres, was at the roundtable. Minister, welcome. Thanks for coming on.

SENATOR TIM AYRES, MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND INNOVATION AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE: G', day, Andrew. Really good to be on the show.

HOST: Now, the message, and it's a strong message or narrative from your Government is that there is not currently a supplier problem. Now, lots of people in regional WA disagree because they are really struggling to get the fuel they want and need. How do you convince regional West Australians that this is purely just a supply problem?

AYRES: It’s certainly the case that the Government implementing Minimum Stockholding Obligations, those obligations are exceeded at the moment. At a national level, we have 36 days of petrol supply, 1.56 billion litres of petrol, and for diesel, for many of your regional listeners, absolutely critical, for agriculture, trucking, light passenger vehicles and the mining industry, 2.97 billion litres of diesel on hand. And that is all fuel in Australia in an exclusive economic zone. That is, it's usually travelling from the refinery to a port, from the refinery to an Australian port. That is a direct result of the fuel security measures that the Albanese Government implemented when we came to Government. That is the most fuel that's been on hand for Australian use in more than 15 years, so generational improvement in our position and that's designed to put us in the strongest position possible when you have an event like this conflict in the Middle East.

HOST: Okay, so 2.97 billion litres of diesel. We're getting a lot of farmers saying we cannot get the fuel. It's crunch time or coming very close to crunch time, particularly for grain croppers. What is the strategy to get some of those billion litres into regional WA?

AYRES: Well, I’ll just indicate, as well as fuel, we're very focused on other supply chain issues for industry, including fertiliser. Fertiliser was at the roundtable today. The Office of Supply Chain Resilience and the Federal Department of Agriculture have been engaging with the fertiliser sector and with our partners overseas on those questions too. As we go into planting season, it's, yes, diesel very important, but supplies of fertiliser are critical as well.

HOST. So, what's the strategy?

AYRES: And we're confident that we have supplies there for fertiliser for the coming months. One of the issues. What is driving some of these regional specific outcomes –

HOST: Minister, just with respect, the question was what's the strategy to get. We've got 2.97 billion litres of diesel on hand, a lot of farmers are crying out, oh, gee whiz, we need that, we need that quick. The regions are being cut short by the looks in many reports. What's the strategy to get some of that diesel into regional WA?

AYRES: It involves understanding what is driving some of those issues in parts of regional Australia, not all. There is a set of demand spikes that are occurring in some areas. There is not a supply problem. There is a spike in demand. Reports coming in here that some participants in the market are buying four or five times what is required and there is just no need for that kind of approach from individual consumers or from retailers. That's what's creating the pressure, in particular on, smaller retailers in country towns.

HOST: Yeah, so that's what's happening. But what's the solution? What, what's the strategy to alleviate?

AYRES: The solution is, we can deliver on supply. That's what we've been focused on. Actually the solution is not just about what Government does, it's about what we all do together. And that's why we had the farming industry, the fuel sector, petroleum sector, the trucking industry and the fertiliser sector together to make sure that we're communicating clearly, transparently and consistently the right message to community members. And it is unnecessary. The biggest thing that everybody can do is to purchase fuel as normal. That is what is required, particularly in country communities where farmers’ households might only have access to one small retailer. We do each other a favour, make everything much smoother if these issues are approached in a normal, common sense, Australian way. That's why we had everybody around the table today because we are better off dealing with it together.

HOST: Alright, so you're putting the call out that everyone needs to be sensible and deal with it together and only buy as much as they need. But the last week tells us that that's not happening. So, I'm not sure how that's going to change by itself and just with the plea. So, what are some of the –

AYRES: I'm not sure about that, Andrew. Those stockholdings that I reported to you at the beginning of this conversation have not materially changed since the war began in the Middle East. The ships are arriving as scheduled in Australian ports. Minister Bowen, leading this effort, very closely following what is going on in terms of ship movements to Australia. And the petroleum industry assures us that not only are ships arriving as planned, but their projections are, that is continuing as normal. Now, obviously we're watching it very closely. We're focused on engagements with our partner countries where there's through traffic or refining that's important to Australian capacity. The Government's engaging with partners in the fertiliser sector in the region as well, because we're looking beyond the next couple of months to make sure that we're doing everything we can to secure supply for the long term. On the fertiliser front, it is a good thing that the Government's intervention in Mount Isa, right across the other side of the country from you, has made sure that just yesterday the sale of Dyno Noble, the only current Australian manufacturer at Phosphate Hill of fertiliser, has been executed properly and that there's a future for that facility. Our Future Made in Australia agenda more broadly is about securing economic resilience for Australia and in manufacturing, in industry, in fuel and in agriculture as well.

HOST: Ok, now, you are listening to the Federal Minister for Industry and Innovation, Tim Ayres. He was one of four Ministers as well as a heap of industry people at a fuel security roundtable held earlier today in Canberra. Now, we spoke to the CEO of the Australian Trucking Association, who had a seat at the table as well earlier today. Now, one of the comments he made was that, and he heard this at the roundtable, that if the Minister for Energy, Chris Bowen, needed to, he could instil rather extreme powers and essentially make himself the CEO of all the oil companies and direct where the fuel goes. Is that being considered at all?

AYRES: I think Chris is just making the observation that we have a range of powers. Some of them go quite a long way. We're in a situation here, though, where the fuel reserves, as a result of the action this Government has taken, well beyond our Minimum Stockholding Obligations. We're watching very closely. We've demonstrated as a Government in the last term, following the Ukraine crisis, caps on coal and gas prices. We have intervened where it's necessary. You've seen us impose a national gas reservation –

HOST: If I can just ask Senator Tim Ayres. The text line is lighting up with. Well, we're not getting any answers. This is all spin and no answers. We can't get fuel. What are the levers? Other than asking the community to be sensible only by as much as you need. What are the levers you can pull for regional West Australia?

AYRES: Well, we have delivered a national reserve. There is –

HOST: But when will you direct some of that and how will you direct that sum to regional WA.

AYRES: It's a market economy, Andrew, where retailers, where the large petroleum refiners and the large companies are making decisions about, about allocation of resources. And it's not normal for us to, as a Government to intervene at that level, but we're watching very closely, that at a national systemic level, there is a very significant volume of fuel. There is no change to the position over the course of the conflict thus far. We're not complacent about that. Ship movements are happening as projected and we anticipate that they will continue at least in the medium term, as projected. But obviously we are watching this very closely. Ministers engaged with the relevant industries and with our international partners. If we have to evolve our approach, we will. But at this stage, the message is, I can't be any clearer, I don't want to repeat myself, but we have well over our Minimum Stockholding Obligations onshore here in Australia and, and we are not complacent about the future, but we're just asking everybody to work with us.

HOST: Thanks for coming on. Much appreciated.

AYRES: Thanks, Andrew.

HOST: Cheers. So, Tim Ayres is his name. He's the Federal Minister for Industry and Innovation.

ENDS.