In a visit to Coldstream on Thursday 9 April, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor called on the federal government to introduce a national ‘fuel dashboard’ and scrap what he described as a ‘carbon tax’ on Australia’s fuel production.

Touring the Yarra Ranges-based operation known as ASD Strawberries alongside local MP Aaron Violi, Mr Taylor met with the Ripepi family, owners of the multi-generational farming business grappling with rising costs and uncertainty around diesel supply.

Thursday’s formalities included a press conference opened by Mr Violi who spoke to both the challenges and resilience within the sector.

Mr Violi pointed to fuel availability as the most immediate concern for growers and said, “The biggest challenge is availability of fuel, and that’s why we need a dashboard and transparency from this government.”

“When farmers like Jimmy and others across the country are making decisions on whether they’re going to plant crops, they need as much information as possible to make the best decisions for their businesses and to feed our nation,” he said.

Despite the pressures, Mr Violi noted technological advances helping farms remain productive, including hothouse systems and drones improving yields and efficiency.

Mr Taylor, who served as Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction from 2018 to 2022 under the Morrison Government, said the visit reinforced the urgency of action.

Mr Taylor said, “I come from a farming background and I know how hard it can be to manage the rising costs, the challenges of running a business in this day and age and it’s got too hard with costs continuing to rise.”

“Over time those costs pass through to consumers, the households, and the hard-working Australians who are struggling to pay their bills,” he said.

The proposed “fuel dashboard” is a real-time system that would publicly track national fuel stocks, shipments and supply chain gaps.

Mr Taylor said, “We need to know exactly how much fuel we have, not just in service stations.”

“We need to know what stocks are on hand in Australia beyond the service stations and what vessels we’ve got, what ships we’ve got coming to Australia by fuel type, by origin, so we can know exactly where we sit and how that’s going to play out over the coming months,” he said.

“The Ripepi family, like so many other businesses across Australia, rely on diesel and they need to know what we’ve got coming to the country and if we have a shortage in prospect in the coming months.”

The Australian federal government under Labor has currently implemented a suite of measures aimed at stabilising fuel supply and easing cost pressures during the 2026 crisis.

Key among them is a temporary cut to the fuel excise, halving the tax on petrol and diesel for three months from April to June, alongside reducing the heavy vehicle road user charge to zero over the same period to lower freight costs.

The government has also moved to release emergency domestic fuel reserves into the market, while underwriting additional fuel imports from international partners to shore up supply.

These actions sit within a broader National Fuel Security Plan agreed by the National Cabinet, designed to coordinate responses across federal, state and territory governments.

According to the plan, “global conflict is causing an unprecedented shock to global oil and gas supply, pushing up fuel prices for Australian consumers and businesses,” with the outlook described as “unpredictable and volatile.”

While noting Australia remains “in a secure position currently,” the plan emphasises that governments are preparing for all scenarios, with a staged, flexible framework that can escalate if conditions worsen.

The strategy operates across four levels from normal monitoring through to protecting critical services, and includes measures such as prioritising essential industries, managing reserves, securing international supply, and encouraging voluntary reductions in fuel use.

According to the government at its current setting, the focus remains on “keeping Australia moving,” with governments working alongside industry to monitor supply chains, redirect fuel where needed, and maintain continuity for businesses and households.

When asked what additional measures the opposition would pursue beyond existing initiatives such as halving the fuel excise, Mr Taylor’s response returned to transparency.

“The first thing is to make it absolutely transparent where the fuel is in the supply chain and where the gaps are,” Mr Taylor said.

“We just need a dashboard with the information there available to farmers like the Ropepi family, so they know what they’re facing in the coming months,” he said.

Mr Taylor also called for the immediate removal of emissions-related costs imposed on refineries, describing them as a carbon tax.

“This Government has imposed a carbon tax on our refineries and they should remove that carbon tax immediately,” Mr Taylor said.

“Our refineries need to be able to produce the fuel we need without that kind of constraint.” “They should remove that carbon tax straight away,” he said.

The opposition’s push comes amid ongoing global supply pressures, including disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for fuel.

“We are concerned,” Taylor said.

“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has had an impact on fuel prices at the bowser for all Australians and we want to see it opened up again,” he said.

After discussing with the Ripepi family, Mr Taylor noted the effects of the fuel crisis in Coldstream are similar to others across the nation.

For Director at Australian Strawberry Distributors (ASD) Joe Ripepi, the pressures are already being felt on the ground, with rising costs and structural challenges reshaping how the business operates.

Mr Ripepi said, “The current fuel crisis will affect every single person in the primary industry, across the board.”

“People have got to realise that the primary industry feeds Australia and other parts of the world as well,” he said.

“The biggest problem with the fuel crisis is transportation of goods. The nation stops with our trucks.”

According to Mr Ripepi, freight costs have doubled, affecting the farm’s profit margins.

Where ASD were previously paying $2.50 to $3.00 per tray of freight, costs are now up to $6.00 and $7.00 per tray.

Mr Ripepi said, “We supply strawberries along the east coast of Australia into Adelaide and Tasmania and we have to wear the freight cost.”

Mr Ripepi also argued that rising input costs were fuelling inflation and called for greater government support for primary producers.

“If the primary industry was subsidised, food at the supermarkets or at your greengrocer would not go up,” Mr Ripepi said.

“We’ve actually cut back because we were going to put in another 400,000 plants this year but

Mr Ripepi said the impact of fuel extended across nearly every input on the farm.

“Freight, fertiliser, plastics, punnets, it all has a domino effect across the board,” Mr Ripepi said.

“We’re going to pay more for it all and it’s just going to be extremely hard.”

The issue of fuel supply and pricing remains under active policy consideration, with both government and opposition continuing to advance approaches to addressing the crisis.

Lilydale Star Mail

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