{"id":560812,"date":"2026-03-24T09:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T09:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/560812\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T09:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T09:28:10","slug":"victorian-service-stations-run-out-of-fuel-as-middle-east-war-spikes-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/560812\/","title":{"rendered":"Victorian service stations run out of fuel as Middle East war spikes demand"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 100 service stations across the Victoria ran out of petrol on Tuesday morning and 83 stations were without diesel, according to the state’s energy minister.<\/p>\n

However, Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said while service stations in both metro and regional areas were experiencing shortages, the supply of fuel had not been directly affected.<\/p>\n

Instead, she said, the shortages were due to a rush of people buying fuel across the state.<\/p>\n

“The fuels coming into the country, they’re still flowing into the country,” Ms D’Ambrosio told ABC Melbourne radio.<\/p>\n

“In some areas of Victoria \u2014 not widespread \u2014 but in some areas of Victoria, demand has increased by anywhere between 300 and 400 per cent.”<\/p>\n

Fuel industry body Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (ACAPMA) said as of midday Tuesday, the number of outages in Victoria had fallen to 61 sites.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Petrol stations across the country have experienced shortages since the war began. (ABC News: Andrew Chounding)<\/p>\n

Ms D’Ambrosio said the shortages were split evenly between regional and metropolitan areas, and that many service stations were entirely out of every type of petrol.<\/p>\n

“It’s that they have no petrol \u2026 none,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Most of these areas do have alternatives, and this is really important for communities, they need to be confident that there are alternative service stations providing the fuel.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

The war in the Middle East has led prices to rise and fall sharply as the situation evolves, but Australia is still yet to see significant supply shock effects from the war<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last week, federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen warned Australians against panic-buying fuel<\/a>, saying there was still plenty available.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The government says fuel shortages are due to increased demand rather than a supply shortage. (ABC News: Abbey Haberecht)<\/p>\n

The federal government’s new National Liquid Fuel Task Force will meet today for the first time to discuss potential supply issues.<\/p>\n

But Ms D’Ambrosio said any shortages in Victoria today could be described as “temporary outages”.<\/p>\n

“We know, from just the experience of recent days, that these outages, most of them are short-term and they get refuelled very, very readily,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Whether they are persistent outages is something that I’ll be sitting down with the fuel distributors to get a sense of from them.”<\/p>\n

Industry body says fuel theft has increased<\/p>\n

ACAPMA chief executive Rowan Lee said the spike in demand was having an impact on retailers across the country.<\/p>\n

“The retailers are under a lot of pressure. They’re trying to keep up with demands,” Mr Lee said.<\/p>\n

“There’s been an increase in fuel drive-offs and fuel theft \u2026 some unfortunate behaviour in stores as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“But people got to remember the person serving you at the counter hasn’t set the price of fuel.”<\/p>\n

Mr Lee said while further outages were possible, he stressed stock outages were generally temporary and would only last 24 to 48 hours.<\/p>\n

“The thing is the shops are still coming and the markets are very tight,” he said.<\/p>\n

“No cargo has been interrupted yet, but the longer this goes on, the riskier things will become.”<\/p>\n

Country pub swaps meat tray raffle for fuel<\/p>\n

As fuel prices climb across the country, one central Victorian pub has swapped its traditional meat-tray raffle for a jerry can of diesel.<\/p>\n

Tallarook Hotel publican James Carlin said the pub was not charging for entry to the fuel raffle and hoped it would give the local community a boost.<\/p>\n

“We know times are tough at the moment and we just thought it would be nice to give something back,” he told ABC Melbourne radio.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

One lucky patron at the Tallarook Hotel won a jerry can of fuel in a raffle. (Facebook: Tallarook Hotel)<\/p>\n

The idea is now spreading across Victoria, with Mr Carlin saying he was bringing the idea to five other pubs in the region.<\/p>\n

Mr Carlin said the small initiative had rapidly gone viral on social media, racking up 1.5 million views.<\/p>\n

“Fuel is the lifeblood of our regional economy and everyone needs it,” he said.<\/p>\n

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