NSW Liberals and Nationals Announce Plan to Protect Families, Businesses and Industry from Petrol Shock

The NSW Liberals and Nationals have announced a New South Wales Fuel Transparency Plan, committing to introduce legislation to deliver greater transparency, stronger enforcement and long-term protection for motorists facing rising petrol prices.

Member for Manly, James Griffin MP said the plan would help deliver greater certainty for motorists and families.

“Families and businesses across the Northern Beaches are already dealing with rising costs, and sudden fuel price spikes only make things harder,” Mr Griffin said.

“This plan is about giving motorists transparency and certainty so they can see the price ahead of time and know it won’t suddenly jump at the bowser.”

Phase one of the NSW Opposition’s plan would introduce legislation requiring service stations to publicly report and lock in their daily fuel price for 24 hours, giving motorists certainty before they fill up and preventing sudden price spikes at the bowser.

Phase Two of the plan will be the NSW Fuel Security and Resilience Strategy that will be implemented if elected in 2027. It will focus on strengthening New South Wales against future supply shocks by looking at the need to expand storage capacity examining opportunities for domestic fuel production including low carbon fuels, and properly mapping the links between electricity, gas and liquid fuels.

Key elements of the NSW Fuel Transparency Plan include:

• Daily fuel price transparency scheme requiring retailers to publicly report and lock in maximum daily fuel prices
• Advance price notification, allowing motorists to see the next day’s fuel price before arriving at the bowser
• Strong penalties for non-compliance, targeting operators who attempt to mislead consumers or manipulate prices
• Greater competition and transparency, helping drivers compare prices and find the best deal
• A review of regional fuel supply resilience

This reform would build on NSW’s existing fuel price reporting system Fuel Check, introduced by the Coalition in 2016, while introducing stronger consumer protections and greater certainty for motorists.