STEVE PRICE: I looked at this story yesterday about this stuff called AdBlue. Most of it never had heard of it. If we weren't working in Regional Australia or working in the transport industry. Angus Taylor is the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions reduction. He’s on the line. Good to talk to you again.

ANGUS TAYLOR: Thanks for having me Steve. 

STEVE PRICE: At least someone saw some sense about no more media inquiries - that's just ridiculous. Had you heard of AdBlue before this shortage bobbed up?

ANGUS TAYLOR: Sure have. I live in Regional Australia and I use it in, in my car that I'm sitting in right now. So, well aware of it. All the truckies in the region use it, of course farmers. So it's important. The good news is there is supply in the supply chain. It's tight globally, there's no doubt about that, but we are right across it; we’ve established a task force. There is no need to go out and buy additional supplies - that's unhelpful and unnecessary, there’s enough out there but we’re staying right across it because of the global shortages. We want to make sure there is no prospect that we're going to see disruption in our trucks and, and our motorist who use diesel, particularly in regional areas.

STEVE PRICE: We should point out to people that the key ingredient in this is urea, which is also - and you’re off the land, you know - that's an, an ingredient that's in common fertiliser, isn't it? 

ANGUS TAYLOR: Well, exactly. I mean, your food, the food people have eaten this morning at breakfast, is only made possible because of fertiliser made from gas, in fact, Steve and urea is one of those key nitrogen fertilisers that grows crops and makes them green, and strong, and robust and it's that urea that we also use in AdBlue. We've seen global gas shortages We've been blessed in Australia, we haven't seen that here, but across most of the world we have. That's led to this tightness in the urea market, and, and therefore the global shortages of AdBlue. Fortunately, we're in an okay situation, but we're staying right on it because it would not be good to see any disruption in the supply of AdBlue, and that's why I established this task force but we’re confident right now we can manage it.

STEVE PRICE: I spoke to Warren Clark yesterday - I know you've been in contact with him - the National Road Transport Association. He's also said, look, don't panic. Don't, don’t go and do the toilet-paper stuff but he thinks that they could run out in the second month of the start of the- of next year. Are you now confident that won't happen? 

ANGUS TAYLOR: Yeah , we're confident we can manage that. I mean, we've got significant stocks on the ground. We've got stocks on the way to Australia and then, we've got firm orders. That takes us will into February. That's in line with normal supply chains. There's nothing unusual about that. It's tight, but it's, it’s within the normal range. We've got to make sure we don't have a disruption beyond that - we've got time to make sure that we don't. We're in touch with countries who are big suppliers of this to make sure we can get additional supplies if that's needed. I've been working closely with Dan Tehan, the Trade Minister, to make sure we've got those options available. So we're pulling out all stops to make sure there is no prospect of disruptions. 

STEVE PRICE: So our main source of this stuff was China. China's now stopped exporting it. The price has gone through the roof. What other countries are, are able to fill the gap that the Chinese supply has taken off us. 

ANGUS TAYLOR: There's many. So Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Indonesia, even Japan are all suppliers, and they all have access to and manufacturing for significant supplies. We also make it here in Australia. We, we tend to focus here in our urea production on agricultural urea, because farmers, of course, use that, as you, as you rightly pointed out but there's potential also to shift more of that towards AdBlue. What we don't want to do is disrupt our fertiliser supply chains, because that has an impact on foods. So we just got to balance those things but there are some local options here as well that we're working through.

STEVE PRICE: As Industry Minister, with that hat on, I mean, should this not be a, a warning and sound a bit of an alarm that we, we've got to stop being so reliant on importing materials such as refined petrol? Which is the other issue. Why wouldn't a country as big as Australia, with the resources we've got, be a major producer of this stuff ourselves? Why have we always waited to get it from someone else? 

ANGUS TAYLOR: Well, we do produce some of it ourselves. We tend to make- our urea production here in Australia, though, has tended to be focused on agriculture because we've got such a big agricultural sector. No. Now it's very clear, this is an important supply like diesel, and petrol, and, you know, aviation gas and we have very strong regimes to make sure we've got enough stocks and we've got transparency on those stocks. It is important that we, we stay right across AdBlue now, and that's exactly what I'm doing to make sure - just like diesel, and, and petrol - we've always got enough and that's exactly what this task force is there to do. 

STEVE PRICE: As a New South Wales Liberal, are you disappointed that Gladys has decided not to stand in Warringah?

ANGUS TAYLOR: Look, I can completely understand the choice. I mean, you know, it's a tough game. I do think she's been dealt a very unfair hand by what's happened with ICAC. However, her choices are completely understandable, and I wish her well. I mean, she is a good person and I'm sure she will go on to do great things, whatever they- she chooses. She did an outstanding job as Premier in the dark days of COVID for New South Wales. No one could criticise her for anything that she did.

ANGUS TAYLOR: She, she absolutely did. And you know, I agree with the prime Minister. I do think the way she's been treated through this whole ICAC business, has been unfair. It has acted like a kangaroo court and I absolutely wish her well in where she goes from here. 

STEVE PRICE: Good on you. Where are you off to? Thank you for pulling over. 

ANGUS TAYLOR: I'm between, I’m between Canberra and my home - I'm heading into Goulburn right now. So pouring with rain here, Steve, beautiful rain. We've had an amazing spring. So we’ve just got to make sure we've got our fertiliser in place for the next winter crop next year. 

STEVE PRICE: Drop by Trappers Pies and get a curry pie for me, will you? 

ANGUS TAYLOR: Yeah. It’s a good pie there.

STEVE PRICE: They are good. Thank you. Have a good day.

ANGUS TAYLOR: Good on you. Thanks, mate.

STEVE PRICE: Angus Taylor, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction.