this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2026
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**In short: **

The government has halved the fuel excise, reducing the cost of petrol and diesel by 26.3 cents a litre for three months.

The heavy road user charge will also be reduced to zero for the same period, taking pressure off truck drivers and transport costs.

top 22 comments
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[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 3 points 1 day ago

… and petrol company’s are already preemptively jacking up prices again;

Doing a Coles.

Up Up! Prices are Up!

[–] rimu@piefed.social 37 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Govt responds to fuel shortage by pushing the price down, thereby increasing consumption and maintaining dependence.

This is fine.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

and don't forget the lost revenue made up with more federal debt.

[–] shirro@aussie.zone 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Long term it would be bad. High prices help hasten energy transition and energy independence but the collapse of the Libs has left a very dangerous power vacuum.

Hopefully Trump dies of natural causes or gets the 25th soon and the disruptions in the gulf ends.

Meanwhile Labor needs to be seen to be doing popular things to keep the fossil fuel and billionaire funded populists to 20%

Government is always about finding a balance, not being perfect.

[–] rimu@piefed.social 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Hmm, yes, "politics is the art of the possible", good point.

Although, in a few weeks when it becomes clear that the govt effectively sat on it's hands and did stuff all while the obvious situation unfolded predictably, that's not going to be great for their polling numbers either.

[–] shirro@aussie.zone 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

They have been getting fuel into the country and trying to support critical industries and combat price increases. There is a limit. We aren't about to sanction the USA or start a war with them. Global oil prices aren't something our government can control.

Whatever they do it's going to end with fuel rationing I think. Odd and even plate days etc. Seen it all before. People forget quickly how vulnerable we are to disruptions in the global supply chain.

Cutting fuel excise is likely a poor decision conomically but there is a constant theme I see online, don't know where it comes from, that this government does nothing. They are obviously doing a hell of a lot and perhaps more than they should. It isn't being reported or understood for some reason.

[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 1 points 1 day ago

Defenestration is natural causes for Russian Agents.

But Russia do not currently have the resources to liquidate their asset.

[–] trk@aussie.zone 23 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Also, needed some fuel on the weekend for the mower so took up our 2 x 20L fuel containers we keep in the shed for the mower / whipper snipper to fill them up... Could feel the eyes as we dared fill up a couple of jerry cans. Obviously hoarding. After turning up in our EV....

Really surprised at the lack of anger at old Trumpy over this whole thing. Everyones so quick to blame "Albo" or "Labor" ("labour" usually) rather than... the bloke who is literally the one who initiated the conflict??

Anyway. Will certainly be delicious irony if this is the turning point for electric adoption.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 16 points 2 days ago

Only an idiot would blame Albo.

However, I'm really raging that Albo and other world leaders won't hold Trump's feet to the fire over this.

Trump started it and he's the only one that can finish it and the only way he will do that is if other leaders throw some shade on him for this idiocy.

[–] PetulantBandicoot@aussie.zone 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Really surprised at the lack of anger at old Trumpy over this whole thing.

Don't worry, I'm blaming Trump for this.

[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago

You are not the only one. I interact with a lot of right-wing nutters and also right-wing “normal” people who are now blaming Trump. Even the cookers and Red Hats are rethinking their world view.

[–] kingofras@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

They’re not political you see

[–] budget_biochemist@slrpnk.net 18 points 2 days ago

Lowering the price will just increase consumption and hoarding.

The solution to shortages is rationing, but the government is worried (probably accurately) that it will be unpopular.

[–] regularbum@aussie.zone 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I can see an argument that this will keep the same consumption of fuel as before in order to sustain the economy (and they are betting on supply issues not getting worse) but shouldn’t this then be accompanied with at least some other measures to reduce overall consumption (eg federal support for cheaper public transport or WFH options)?

Or maybe this is to just make people not “feel” the effects of the war to keep everyone happy?

[–] Hirom@beehaw.org 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

EU member states took different approches: targeted tax cuts for truck drivers, or targeted 100 EUR subsidy for lower income households to spend on energy (fuel or electricity), or general energy tax cut for both fuel and electricity.

The idea being to either subsidize fuels for folks who must use fuel. Or subsizie energy in general so that both fuel and electricity gets cheaper, so that polluting energy sources doesn't get more tax cut than electricity.

[–] TassieTosser@aussie.zone 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They're at least gonna enforce servos passing the saving on right? They'll fine any cunts their entire revenue since the war started right?

[–] thirdBreakfast@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Since the fuel price is set by market forces (rather than a cost plus model), and the law doesn't prevent price gouging in energy (those laws only apply to supermarkets) we'll likely see a drop (or at least a pause in the increases) when it's first introduced, but then the fuel companies will slowly wind it back up till they are pocketing the excise change.

So no - there's no framework forcing the saving to be passed on to motorists, and in the medium term it will go to fuel companies, funded by taxpayers.

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

While it’d be a massive fucking bureaucratic nightmare - the Govt should probably opt to refund the fuel excise levy on a monthly/quarterly basis through the ATO & financial institutions.

While it won’t do anything to curb panic-demand, it would at least provide an avenue for directly reducing end-user fuel costs in a noticeable way.

[–] porcoesphino@mander.xyz 2 points 2 days ago

Yeah, but anyone that hates and blames politicians for this would hate and blame politicians if they did what you're suggesting. This strategy gives less money directly but more directly addresses the anger and democracy is basically a popularity contest

[–] trk@aussie.zone 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Will certainly take the wind out of the sails of the usual conservative bogan types who have been making a big song and dance about how the gubberment needs to save them from our own over-reliance on oil.

[–] vividspecter@aussie.zone 5 points 2 days ago

That's likely the reason yeah, even if it makes the problem worse given it's mostly a demand side problem (for now). Functionally illiterate conservatives don't know or care about that, however.

[–] Arancello@aussie.zone -2 points 2 days ago

so retailers can sell for the same price and pocket the reduced tax. hurray for labor. NOT.