Earlier today, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce urged the government to immediately bring in fuel rationing, arguing that by the time shortages hit, it will be too late.
He said farmers were considering how they could conserve their fuel consumption as prices rocket, and the effects would eventually be felt across the country.
“You can’t see it, maybe in Sydney. You can’t see it, maybe in Melbourne or Canberra, but we can see it out in the country,” he told reporters as he arrived at parliament this morning.
“This is going to ripple through. It’s going to start with a few sort of peculiarities. Isn’t that interesting? I don’t seem to have any eggs today. And then it’s going to build up and up and up and up. But by the time it arrives, it’s too late.”
Joyce said it wasn’t feasible to wind down food production “then overnight belt them back up again”.
“It doesn’t work like that. Therefore, [Prime Minister Anthony Albanese] should be having rationing now, and he should be brave enough to say to the Australian people, look, you’re not going to like this, but you’re going to appreciate it. A plan is better than panic, and panic is where we’re going.”
