One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has made the bold claim of saying “the climate change department has got to go”, blaming it for Australia’s lack of fuel security.
Mr Joyce told Sky News host Rowan Dean he blames the department for a raft of regulations that impact Australia’s ability to extract oil.
“The climate change department has got to go,” Joyce said on The World According to Rowan Dean on Friday.
“Climate legislation has got to go.
“Restrictions on us getting oil out of the Great Australian Bight and other areas has got to go.”
The comment comes as concerns grow over Australia’s fuel security and the future of petrol prices, following a fire at one of Australia’s two remaining oil refineries on Wednesday.
The blaze tore through Viva Energy Geelong Refinery, which processes about 120,000 barrels of oil per day and supplies roughly 10 per cent of the country’s fuel, according to the Viva Energy website.
Senior lecturer at Macquarie University Lurion de Mello told SkyNews.com.au on Friday that while prices may not dramatically increase nationwide, certain regions, particularly Victoria, would likely be impacted.
Mr Joyce was asked about whether it was right for Australia to be in a position where there are only two oil refineries operating in the country.
“Are we going to have an epiphany, ladies and gentlemen?” he asked.
“Because there’s nothing worse than a dog returning to its vomit. This is what is happening here.”
Mr Joyce warned that unless things change, Australia was going to lose its “standard of living” and “become poorer.”
“But it’s too late now,” he said
“Unfortunately, we’ve got to try and manage this. We’ve got to try and manage this with the crazy cards that have been dealt.
The comments come after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to Singapore to secure Australia’s fuel supply.
Mr Albanese said he arrived back to Australia with 100 million litres of diesel from to two separate shipments, although Australia goes through roughly 92 million litres of diesel every single day, according to NRMA.