Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement)

“The legislation before the chamber is really important for Australian consumers because no new ideas and no constructive suggestions have happened from those opposite on the fuel issues and the challenges we're facing from the war in the Middle East—nothing from those opposite, just whinging and moaning and carping all the time. The conflict overseas has had an impact, and it's not an excuse to rip off Australians at service stations and at bowsers. It is simply not. We need to clamp down. I'm pleased the ACCC, in March this year, investigated a number of companies in relation to this issue. We need these higher penalties for petrol companies who do the wrong thing. That's why we're doing what we're doing. That's no excuse to jack up prices and rip off Australians.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“Let's be very clear: what this legislation, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026, is very clear about is that those global pressures are not an excuse for misconduct. They are not an excuse for misleading conduct or price manipulation, and they're certainly not an excuse for big corporations to treat Australian consumers like mugs. That's why the bill doubles penalties for those who do the wrong thing, lifting maximum penalties to $100 million per offence, because, if you're looking to rip off Australians, there should be real consequences for it. I'm certain that in my community people expect nothing less. I really understand that, at the moment, households in my community and others are doing all they can to manage their costs. People are shopping around. They are budgeting carefully. When they are doing this, the least they can expect is that the system is fair and that companies are playing by the rules. That is what we are achieving with this bill.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“Fuel companies know this, and there are so many patriotic Australians in the fuel sector who take that responsibility seriously. But what the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 does is ensure that the bad actors who are seeking to make a quick buck off the volatility that international conflict has brought to 2026 are held accountable for their responsibilities. When petrol prices move, households feel it immediately. When prices spike without explanation, people notice. When people suspect they are being taken advantage of, trust in the system erodes quickly. This legislation is about restoring and protecting that trust.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“The Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 doubles the maximum penalties for serious breaches of competition and consumer law from $50 million to $100 million per offence for false or misleading conduct or cartel behaviour across the country. We have already acted in this space. We increased penalties fivefold to up to $50 million and strengthened the powers of the ACCC, including extending petrol price monitoring enabling on-the-spot fines. But this legislation goes further. It ensures even bigger penalties for servos and suppliers who are ripping off Australian motorists.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“Importantly, this bill does not alter the independent role of the Fair Work Commission. It respects that role. The commission will continue to assess applications and make decisions independently, but this bill will ensure that in times of crisis it can act with urgency. This legislation builds on the significant steps the government has already taken to respond to this fuel crisis. We've acted quickly to protect Australians, doubling penalties for petrol price gouging and really teething up the ACCC to increase monitoring, enforcement and crackdown. We've acted to stabilise supply, releasing a portion of Australia's fuel reserves. We've adjusted the fuel standards to increase availability. And we've been working with our international partners to ensure that those ships keep coming. We're a reliable partner with LNG and coal, and they know they need to reciprocate those deals—and they are—but we're working constructively with them.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“We are a party that fights for workers, and we fight for transport workers. When it comes to fuel price hikes, we will not back down. These surging costs are felt right across the community, including by everyday Aussies in my community, who are feeling the surge in petrol prices. That's why we're also introducing new legislation to double penalties for petrol companies that are price gouging. What petrol companies are doing to inflate prices at servos in my community, across our cities and, in particular, in regional Australia must stop. We won't cop corporations taking advantage of Aussie consumers, and conflict overseas is no excuse. My message to my community in Melbourne's western suburbs is: when you go to the servo you deserve a fair go at the petrol pump, and any corporations that engage in misconduct, ripping you off, should face bigger penalties. We've already increased penalties up to $50 million—five times higher than they were before—and we've given the ACCC more tools, like extending petrol price monitoring powers and the ability to issue on-the-spot fines.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“Let's look at the practical things that the Albanese government is doing. One is the new legislation to provide for bigger penalties for misconduct in the fuel sector to help consumers get a fair go at the petrol pump. The conflict overseas should never be an excuse to profit off Australians. We're putting petrol companies on notice and this Treasury laws amendment to double the penalties does literally that. It doubles the penalties for false or misleading conduct and cartel behaviour to a maximum of $100 million per offence across the economy. We'd already increased penalties to $50 million—that's five times higher than what they were when we came to government—and we've given the ACCC more tools, such as extending petrol price monitoring powers and the ability to issue on-the-spot fines. This is a really important step, and it comes on top of the other action we're taking to address fuel affordability and security.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“This legislation is exactly designed for the moment. These two bills are designed to do two things. As the member for Cook indicated earlier—and Deputy Speaker Buchholz yourself, who was heavily involved in trucking, like my neighbour. I know firsthand, from working in construction and running a construction business, how important those fuel costs are and how important it is that we get those deliveries on time. So these pieces of legislation deal with that. They give certainty to truckies that they're going to be able to negotiate a fair deal that's going to be able to keep their trucks moving and get those materials delivered to site or the goods delivered to supermarkets. The other thing it does as well is it gives powers to the government and the ACCC to actually properly prosecute companies that are profiteering out of this. We know—as if the member for Cook was telling us something we don't know!—what is going on out there, but the difference between us and the opposition is that we're acting on it, and they're point scoring. We're out there taking effective measures; they're out there collecting data and asking for people's emails. We're out there acting in the national interest, and they're out there acting in what they think is their very narrow political interest.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“At the centre of that response is protecting consumers from being ripped off. So we've introduced the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill, which operates to double penalties for serious misconduct, lifting maximum penalties for false or misleading conduct to $100 million per offence. Let me be clear: the conflict overseas is not an excuse to profit from Australians, so we're putting the fuel sector on notice. We will not accept big corporates treating Australian motorists unfairly, and that's why we're empowering the ACCC to ramp up fuel price monitoring and issue on-the-spot fines. We are calling on those opposite to support this legislation and stand with Australian consumers.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“The other piece, of course, is the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026. This allows penalties of up to $100 million for those who are found to be in breach of the Treasury Laws Amendment Act by the ACCC. It works quite simply as a deterrent to stop businesses from price-gouging Australian citizens. Obviously, everyone in this chamber supports the ACCC in pursuing anyone found to be doing these things. In response to the fuel price increases, we have raised this to $50 million and now again here to $100 million to ensure that we've got legislation and that the CQC is empowered to support Australians and prevent them being taken advantage of by companies who want to do these things.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“When it comes to our fairer fuel bill and doubling penalties for ACCC enforcement, it is essential that, in order to support our trucking companies and in order to support everyday Territorians and everyday Aussies, these companies are held to account, and maximising the fines will provide an effective disincentive. Despite what some opposite have said, there have been huge fines handed out to petrol companies that have done the wrong thing, and that will continue and be much harsher now.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“The Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 is a clear statement of intent. It doubles penalties for false or misleading conduct and for cartel behaviour to a maximum of $100 million per offence. Our job is to act in the best interests of Australians, and that is what we are doing here today. We know people are doing it tough. We know it's a hard slog. These bills are our work to improve the lives of everyone in this country.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“That is exactly what this legislation delivers. The bill doubles the maximum penalties for false or misleading conduct and cartel behaviour to $100 million per offence. That's not a slap on the wrist; those are actual consequences. We've already increased penalties fivefold under this government to $50 million because we understood that weak penalties are no deterrent for big corporations turning over billions of dollars. Our bill goes further still because the Albanese government is serious about accountability. The Iran war has introduced genuine volatility into global oil markets. What happens in the Middle East affects what Australians pay at the bowser. That is a reality that we must acknowledge, and those opposite know this, despite what they are saying. We're putting fuel companies on notice today, and this government will not cop price gouging.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“While those opposite play political games, stunts, by calling on this legislation to be urgently passed—'very urgent' we heard from the last speaker—those in the other place on their side are referring it to a committee. Then, when we put it to a vote here, they voted against it anyway. Those opposite are playing very badly strategically planned stunts while this government has the backs of all Australians, and I'd call on those opposite to stop the stunts and stop the games. This is urgent. We need to get it through. You need to vote for it. You need to tell those in the other place that they need to vote for it as well. This is an urgent thing, and we really need all of us. We're elected to look after Australians. We all need to do what is right for our constituents and get this legislation through.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“I rise today to speak in strong support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026. In the electorate of Bullwinkel, our community spans from the hills to the valleys and out into the regional hubs, so, for my constituents, the cost of living isn't a theoretical debate; it's a daily reality for them, particularly so every time they pull up to a petrol pump. They deserve a fair go and they deserve to know that the laws of this land are strong enough to protect them from corporate misconduct. This bill is very simple. The punishment must fit the crime. Fines act as a deterrent. If a corporation decides to put its profits above the law, the penalty should not be seen as a mere cost of doing business; it should be a significant deterrent that stops them in their tracks.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“There are two key pieces of legislation that we are talking about today. The first bill, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026, is about doubling penalties. No-one should be taking advantage, on a commercial basis, of people who are struggling to put fuel in their cars. The first bill gives effect to what the Treasurer and the assistant minister announced on 11 March—to double the ACCC's enforcement penalties, including for false and misleading conduct and for cartel behaviour, to a maximum of $100 million per offence. The second bill, the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026, gives truckies a fair go and makes sure that our truck drivers aren't disadvantaged by a significant issue in our community. Our road transport industry is vital to keeping our nation moving and to keeping our economy running—and that's what the second bill does. Without trucks and without their drivers, the movement of essential supplies across Australia stops—and we can't have that. We need to look after our drivers. We need to give them a fair go.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“I go back to this point: the reason we called for the ACCC enforcement bill to be brought forward was that we come from communities where we're seeing these problems. We're talking to these people. We're hearing from business owners who simply cannot afford the additional cashflow that an extra dollar per litre is putting on them. That's why we called to bring this forward. We're trying to look after our communities and we have a government who won't do anything.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“Yes, we support doubling these penalties, but the ACCC takes time. They have to investigate cases. They have to create litigation. Australians need relief now. They need relief urgently. They are doing the maths right now on how they will get through Easter. I personally spoke to two trucking companies this week who are worried about going insolvent, and, when they go insolvent—they have customers who they deliver to. They go to Bunnings. They go to Woolies. They go to Coles. It's not just a bush issue. Right now, it may be. People in the cities might say, 'The worst thing that's happening to me is paying 200 bucks for a tank,' and that's pretty bad. But it could soon get much worse. When you start having road transport break down, you get shortages on supermarket shelves, you get unemployment spiking and you get inflation going through the roof.”

Liberal Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“This is in comparison to the schedules that are being updated in the context of the Competition and Consumer Act which are focused very squarely on making sure penalties are imposed on those who seek to price gouge or harm Australians. It's a straightforward exercise that they have dawdled on every step of the way. The response from the minister has been to not bring the legislation to the House, to bring it to a vote to resolve the matter and to up the penalties, but instead he has allowed time to drift. We are simply asking that that matter, which is simple, straightforward and clear, be resolved. Instead, what the government is now doing is a shambolic process to try and shut down parliamentary scrutiny and parliamentary accountability. I'll remind the House this Fair Work legislation was introduced this morning. A copy has not even, as far as I am aware, been made available to the opposition—or, if it has, we certainly haven't had the chance to read it yet. When you're making such substantial changes to industrial relations legislation—and I know the Labor Party works for the trade union movement; it doesn't work for Australians—at some point you actually have to factor Australians into the conversation.”

Liberal Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“The ACCC already has significant enforcement powers, and courts already impose serious penalties when misconduct is proven. That makes this government's delay impossible to explain, because if these tools existed all along then why did the government wait until Australians were paying record prices to act? The coalition's position is clear. We support strong enforcement. We support penalties that deter real misconduct. But we don't want to see enforcement being used to mask policy failure. That is why, while we will support this bill today, we will continue to hold the government to account for its failures in regard to this fuel crisis, because this is a real crisis that Australians are facing right now. It is a crisis that is affecting households, small businesses and entire sectors of the economy. As I say, for that reason the coalition is not going to obstruct necessary measures, but we are not going to stay silent while Australians pay record prices because this government acted too late, spoke too loosely and is now legislating after the fact.”

Liberal Party • Senator • 26 Mar 2026

“The coalition support the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026. We got it yesterday. We spent last night going through it. We looked for where all the sneaky by-lines normally are. We support it. We came in today and we offered the government an olive branch and said, 'We want to bring it on quickly—earlier—for debate so we can get it passed through here. Then it can go to the Senate and also go out into the community to make sure that big business and those fuel companies aren't ripping off the consumer.' That's what we did.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“We made an offer of bipartisanship to say: 'The ACCC bill is very simple. Let's get it through the House into the Senate.' Yet what do we get? Once again, all you want to do is play politics. I ask you to please remember what is happening out there in the community. People are hurting. People are concerned. People are worried. They're worried about the secondary impacts of this fuel crisis. They're wondering about what it's going to mean for when they go into the supermarket—what it's going to mean for vegetable prices and what it's going to mean for meat prices. They worry every time they go and fill the car up: 'That $100 note or that $50 note—how many litres is it now going to get me? It won't get me enough.'”

Liberal Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“I too rise to support the bill before the Senate: the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026. We have been imploring the government, the Liberal Party and the National Party now, for over three weeks, to take action to assist Australians in managing what is now a fuel crisis across our country. Let's be very clear. At 4 o'clock today—because this bill will go through the Senate in 35 minutes—let's not pretend that this bill fixes the real problem that Australians have been telling the government they are facing for three weeks now.”

Liberal Party • Senator • 26 Mar 2026

“As the coalition, we will definitely scrutinise this legislation, especially in the Senate. But the way it has been put through today is characteristic of this government. We're approaching Easter, a time that is very special to Australians. But what are we going to actually see? We're going to see an increase in holiday cancellations. We're seeing families who have probably been looking forward to travel after working very hard but being unable to travel and take time with their families. We need a government who is not only prepared to act but prepared to act in a way such that we can work with them. We've been very constructive in the sense that we've said, in relation to the first part of this legislation, that we're happy to provide some support. But the way it's been rushed is, again, characteristic of a government that is arrogant and out of touch.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“The coalition today offers a broader warning. There is a genuine risk for an absolute economic earthquake if this is not addressed urgently, yet we see a complete failure to act. This government has introduced legislation but has not progressed it. They have failed entirely to act on essential price-gouging protections. This crisis is now visible in both our regional and urban areas. The core message from the coalition today is simple: this emergency is undeniably urgent and it is incredibly real. It is hitting vulnerable Australians exceptionally hard and immediate action is needed. Labor must finally prioritise our struggling families and our hardworking farmers. Right now, everyday Australians are unfairly paying the ultimate price for constant government delay and stubborn denial. We cannot afford to waste any more time engaging in empty political spin while regional towns suffer through these wildly inflated prices. This parliament should be completely focused on getting fuel flowing and getting prices firmly under control right now. We need real solutions to ensure no community is left behind.”

Liberal Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“I rise to speak to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026, in the very small amount of time allotted to this chamber, to debate a bill where we actually seek to increase the penalties available to the ACCC. But what I'd like to have seen, as we enter the fourth week of this fuel crisis, is the ACCC on the streets, checking up on local servos, knocking on the doors of the big four fuel suppliers and launching investigations into how the market was operating and whether gouging was occurring. Was there unconscionable behaviour when there were rumours of hedging and hoarding of fuel?”

National Party • Senator • 26 Mar 2026

“So what about the bills before us here today, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 and the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026? Yes, the coalition is backing the doubling of penalties for the ACCC. This is tangible. Increasing the maximum penalty for anticompetitive behaviour and ensuring the price of misconduct is high enough to deter unfair activity is good. We must ensure consumers retain a robust level of protection. Yes, we support tougher penalties for those doing wrong, but the commission must also prosecute. We won't cop fuel gouging, but let's not forget to give confidence to the independent fuel retailers, who don't know where their next order is coming from or when. Doubling penalties won't help supply.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“We had a media announcement 15 days ago, and that legislation only just turned up this week. It was the coalition who decided to be the adults in the room and say, 'Let's get this done today.' Because when I go home tonight, I really want to be able to say to my community, 'We did something in Canberra this week. We actually tried to help.' There have been some mentions of politicking on the other side. There are no politics in this. This is about the people of Australia. The minister at the table scoffs in a disgraceful fashion, showing an absolute complete disregard for the pain that people are feeling right across Australia. So I'm proud to have stood here today as a member of the coalition to get this done.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 26 Mar 2026

“(ii) this bill will do nothing to stop fuel corporations from price gouging because it only increases penalties on existing offences, and”

Australian Greens • Senator • 26 Mar 2026

“The Greens will be supporting the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026 in the House and reserving our position in the Senate. We also intend to support the passage of the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026 in the House and reserve our position in the Senate. Labor's actually lying to you that they're tackling price gouging. All this ACCC bill does is increase penalties on existing offences—offences which have never in their history been used to crack down on fuel.”

Australian Greens • MP • 26 Mar 2026