Petrol

Vehicle numbers on key Sydney and Melbourne roads have held steady, as calls grow for free or cheaper public transport to encourage people to drive lessFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians appear to have kept driving despite soaring petrol prices, as calls grow for free or discounted public transport to help people save fuel and get off the road.Traffic and public transport usage are holding steady, with experts warning the country needs to change travel methods or start working from home if fuel costs keep rising.Do you know more? Email [email protected] Continue reading...

Energy minister Chris Bowen says ‘we’re a long way’ from further action like fuel rationing despite shortagesHundreds of service stations across Australia have run out of fuel, with the federal government inking a deal with Singapore, one of our biggest sources of refined petroleum, to keep supplies of diesel and gas flowing.Concerns are now broadening to supplies of fertiliser and other chemicals, heaping more pressure on the Albanese government’s leveraging of overseas exports of coal and gas in a bid to handle of the crisis. Continue reading...

PM’s ‘cost of living champion’ calls for consideration of temporary measure to prevent profiteering from Iran warThe government’s top cost of living adviser has called on ministers to explore a temporary cap on the profits of energy and petrol companies to prevent them from cashing in excessively on the war in the Middle East.Richard Walker – a Labour peer, the chair of Iceland supermarkets and the prime minister’s “cost of living champion” – said he had asked the government to examine limiting how much businesses were able to benefit from higher energy prices after Iran’s blockade of the strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for Europe’s oil and gas, and the wider conflict in the region. Continue reading...

Amid a surge in fuel prices and fear of shortages, SA police chief signals officers might stop investigating ‘drive-offs’ unless service stations install prepaid pumpsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe rusty green fuel trailer hardly looks like it is worth stealing. But some time before 1 March it was hooked up to the back of a vehicle and taken from a property at Huntley, south of Orange, in the New South Wales central tablelands.It was just another in a series of thefts that police across Australia are keeping a watchful eye on. Continue reading...

Fuel retailers put on notice as watchdog promises to come down hard on those doing the wrong thingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe competition watchdog has received more than 500 reports of possible price-gouging at petrol stations since the breakout of war in Iran, with retailers on notice over cost increases for motorists within hours of the first US and Israeli-led strikes.Gina Cass-Gottlieb, the chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), told Guardian Australia she was receiving further information about fuel price increases moving faster than petrol price cycles in the first days of the war, promising to come down hard against retailers found to be doing the wrong thing. Continue reading...

Have you cancelled a holiday? Are you working from home more or taking fewer journeys? Tell us your experienceGlobal oil market prices have surged, with the US-Israel war on Iran disrupting key shipping routes. The strait of Hormuz, where as much as a fifth of global fuel supply travels through, has been closed due to the conflict.Asia is deeply affected by the crisis, relying heavily on imported energy that passes through the strait. Continue reading...

Other delivery and transport companies such as Uber, DoorDash and Australia Post are weighing whether to charge moreFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRideshare giant DiDi has raised its prices to cover soaring petrol costs, becoming one of the first major companies after the airlines to charge Australian consumers more as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.Uber, DoorDash and Australia Post were among the delivery and transport companies weighing whether to add charges, as small businesses hike fees. Continue reading...