Fuel prices start to creep down after excise cut as Cook Government reveals state of emergency declaration

Fuel prices are starting to creep down at some outlets — too little and too late for accommodation providers confronted with mass cancellations — amid news that a state of emergency will be declared in WA. Premier Roger Cook and Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson revealed on Wednesday that a state of emergency will be activated to force fuel companies to divert supplies where they are needed, after they failed to meet the Premier’s deadline to do so voluntarily. “Unfortunately, our efforts are being hampered by not having the full visibility of the fuel supply chain,” Mr Cook said. “In some cases, we don’t know where the fuel is.” Mr Cook said his request included information that is commercially sensitive, but he insisted it’s necessary to divert supplies to parts of regional WA worst hit by current shortages triggered by the war in Iran. WA remains on a level one yellow alert under the State hazard plan for energy disruptions. The declaration won’t trigger restrictions on public consumption, with Mr Cook stressing these emergency powers are not the same as those used during the COVID pandemic. It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was set to make a national address on Wednesday afternoon about the Australian Government’s response to the Middle East conflict and the ongoing fuel crisis. He urged Australians not to panic ahead of the long weekend and ensured his government was putting in measures to ease the fuel crisis”. The Prime Minister urged road users to be considerate of others in the community, including those who live in regional and remote areas and industries like mining and farming that rely on fuel. Following National Cabinet on Monday, it was decided to halve the fuel excise to 26¢ per litre for three months, which came into effect on Wednesday. However, motorists are warned that saving will take several days to flow through to the bowser as many stations won’t have cheaper fuel until they replenish their stock. When a similar excise cut took place in 2022, the consumer watchdog reported that savings lagged one to two weeks at busy metropolitan outlets, and a few weeks more at more regional locations. According to the Federal Government, motorists can expect to save about $19 on a 65-litre tank once the excise cut is applied. “So please, if you turn up tomorrow and the price hasn’t gone down, they’re just waiting for the new petrol with the lower tax to come in,” Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen said. Prices at certain Geraldton service stations moved downward on Wednesday, while others remained unchanged. None bumped their prices up. According to FuelWatch, the cheapest ULP in Geraldton was $2.36 a litre at Shell Tarcoola and Wonthella, down 20¢ from Tuesday, while the most expensive was sold at Caltex Glenfield and Tarcoola Beach at $2.70 a litre, the same as Tuesday. With diesel, the cheapest was also at Shell Tarcoola and Wonthella at $2.995 a litre, down 13¢ in one day. The most expensive was at Maisey Fuels, unchanged at $3.30 a litre. Skyrocketing fuel prices is also the main reason behind an influx of cancellations for holidays in the Mid West and Gascoyne, according to local venue operators. Northampton Caravan Park’s Chelsea Rowe said their total cancellation rate was about 60 per cent, or about 155 bookings cancelled in April, May and June. About half of the cancellations are for the Easter period. Ms Rowe said fuel prices and the aftermath of cyclone Narelle were the big factors for them — as the ravaged communities of Exmouth and Coral Bay were popular final destinations for people staying with them. “On the highway you still see vans driving past, so I’m happy to see that some people are still travelling under all the circumstances — not being allowed to fish, fuel and now cyclone damage,” she said. “But it’s been quite a big impact . . . not catastrophic, but big. We are hopeful in the longer term people will still continue to do their trips. “Last Easter was massive — we filled up our overflow, we were chokers for four or five days. Things are a bit quieter this year, but our spirits are still high.” A manager of a Kalbarri accommodation venue, who did not want to be named, agreed this Easter compared to last year was very different. “We are getting cancellations thick and fast,” she said. She said none of their cancellations were due to the fishing bans, a small percentage was to do with cyclone damage to towns further north while up to 80 per cent could be blamed on the fuel crisis. “It’s fear of getting stuck and not being able to get home, not so much the dollar value of fuel,” she said. “We were chockers for the whole school holidays (last Easter). Now we’ll be nowhere near that.”