News broke last Wednesday that the Australian government had not ruled out implementing a strict $40 limit on individual fuel purchases as part of comprehensive national rationing measures.
This measure would require a national liquid fuel emergency to be declared by the Governor-General, following formal advice from Energy Minister, Chris Bowen.
The cap would be intended to help manage fuel shortages as part of a broader strategy to ensure fuel security.
The news sent motorists into a panic as people around the country flocked to their local servo and started filling up while they still could.
Cars were packed with jerry cans in scenes reminiscent of the toilet paper shortage during Covid.
One local fuel attendant said she has been regularly abused by customers since fuel prices started going up and was looking forward to taking leave because of it.
“People just don’t understand that I don’t make these decisions,” she said.
“Some of the things people have been saying are just horrible and completely unnecessary.”
However, the government has emphasized the $40 cap is merely one component of longstanding emergency contingency plans and immediate rationing is not currently on the agenda.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sought to reassure Australians that the country’s fuel supply remains secure as hundreds of stations report running out of fuel across the state.
“The longer this war goes on, the greater the impact will be,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.
“But we continue to act to prepare and shield Australians from the worst of it.”
Locally, businesses are adding fuel levies and raising prices to combat the growing crisis.
By Sunday afternoon last week, both servos in town had increased their diesel to $3.239 per litre, the highest ever seen in Corowa.
Hardware retailer Max Macleans recently sent out letters to account holders announcing they would be adding a fuel levy to out of town deliveries in a temporary measure to help ease the burden.
Helen Romey from Max Macleans said that currently they were only adding the fuel levy to cushion the blow from fuel levies charged to them by suppliers, but it would eventually filter through to products.
“Our suppliers are putting a fuel levy on everything, but the goods we receive haven’t changed at the moment,” Helen said.
“There’s oil in everything you buy, so if the oil can’t get through (the prices) are going to go up.
“Our local deliveries will remain the same, but anything beyond Corowa and Wahgunyah we’ve had to put 40 cents per kilometre on top of the delivery fee.
“We've tried to keep it as low as we can, but the fuel (price) keeps going up – it’s cruel.”
With some deliveries taking them as far as Albury and Jerilderie, it doesn’t take long for the kilometres to add up.
Australia will make available about seven days worth of petrol from its emergency stockpile and five days of diesel, the first use of its fuel reserves since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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