Petrol price warning after sudden 60 cents a litre price hike: 'Unjustified'

Yahoo

25-06-2025

Australian drivers are being warned to fill up their cars now as unleaded petrol prices soar by almost 60 cents per litre at stations in some parts of the country. Servos have been put on notice over fuel price spikes and warned not to take advantage of drivers as the Israel-Iran conflict causes volatility.
Fuel companies in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast are currently increasing unleaded prices from a low of 160 cents per litre to a high of 219.9 cents per litre, according to RACQ. It's the highest prices have been in the southeast of the state for nearly 12 months.
RACQ head of public policy Dr Michael Kane said taking into account all market factors, the group would expect prices to spike at an absolute maximum of 207 or 209 cents per litre.
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'We're currently in the price hike phase of the fuel cycle and while we usually see prices jump, an almost 60 cent hike is unjustified and unfair,' Kane said.
'We're seeing a lot of blame for these higher prices fall on international factors, like the conflict in the Middle East and volatile global oil prices, but these haven't led to a significant increase in wholesale fuel prices, so the massive spike at the bowser doesn't add up.
'Fuel companies in the southeast have a lot to answer for, with some retail margins as high as 52 cents a litre.'Retail fuel prices in Australia are largely determined by global factors influencing international crude oil and refined fuel prices, along with the value of the Australian-US dollar exchange rate, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Local factors such as the level of competition can also affect retail prices.
Cities follow different petrol price cycles, with the consumer watchdog noting that prices in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth were decreasing or facing the bottom of the cycle. In comparison, prices in Brisbane are increasing.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers wrote to the consumer watchdog on Tuesday requesting it to be on the lookout for petrol stations using the tensions in the Middle East as an excuse to 'opportunistically' hike petrol prices by more than necessary.
Chalmers noted that global oil prices had been pushed up by more than 25 per cent since the start of June from around $62 per barrel to around $79 at the start of the week, before moderating following the ceasefire announcement.
"We don't want to see service stations do the wrong thing by Australian motorists,' Chalmers said.
"We want to make sure that the market is operating effectively when it comes to the petrol price and what's happening with this volatility in the global oil price, but we call on the service stations to do the right thing by their customers.'
Oil prices dropped following the Israel-Iran ceasefire, with Brent crude futures down 5 per cent to $US67.90 a barrel.
NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury has warned fuel prices were likely to increase, but not by as much as some fear.
On average, he said drivers were likely to pay about 8 cents more a litre at the bowser.
RACQ said cheaper fuel was still available at around 50 per cent of service stations in Brisbane and 60 per cent on the Gold Coast.
The group has urged motorists in the region to fill up their tanks now and aim to pay 170 cents per litre or less for regular unleaded.
'Do not go into the weekend with an empty tank, fill up now, and support the service stations that haven't hiked their prices yet,' Kane said.Sign in to access your portfolio