{"id":585688,"date":"2026-04-04T20:50:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T20:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/585688\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T20:50:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T20:50:16","slug":"high-fuel-prices-mean-some-young-australians-cannot-afford-to-get-to-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/585688\/","title":{"rendered":"High fuel prices mean some young Australians cannot afford to get to work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Young people and people living in regional Australia are taking extraordinary steps to deal with the fuel crisis, including cutting back on work because the cost of fuel to get there is now higher than the money for the shift.<\/p>\n

From walking to the supermarket to car-pooling with parents, cancelling Easter travel and turning down jobs, hundreds of young Australians have shared their experiences with triple j hack in the past few weeks, highlighting the pressures of skyrocketing fuel costs on budgets already stretched by the rising cost of living.<\/p>\n

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On Monday, the federal government announced it would halve the fuel excise from Wednesday \u2014 a move designed to save drivers about 26 cents a litre.<\/p>\n

But given prices have jumped significantly more than 26 cents in the past five weeks, drivers are still well behind on where they were before the war in Iran began.<\/p>\n

The federal government is yet to signal any new cost-of-living relief for Australians, other than the temporary change to fuel excise and measures already afoot, including mid-year tax cuts.<\/p>\n

Fuel too expensive to justify long drive to work<\/p>\n

In the tiny town of Pura Pura in Victoria, 28-year-old Tam Stevens has quit her job because the fuel to drive up to two hours to either Melbourne or Ballarat was costing her more than she was earning.<\/p>\n

\"Young<\/p>\n

Tam Stevens has quit her job because the fuel to get to work was costing her more than she was earning. (Supplied: triple j hack)<\/p>\n

“It doesn’t make any sense, so I just thought I’m not doing this anymore,” she told hack this week.<\/p>\n

She is now weighing up whether to access Centrelink or work on her partner’s wheat and sheep farm \u2014 a big change from her job working contract to contract in finance.<\/p>\n

“It’s not my forte or area of experience, but\u202fI\u202fguess\u202fI’ll be picking up the tools,” she laughed.<\/p>\n

As if the hit to her job was not enough, her partner’s farm is feeling the pressure too, with only half of their diesel supply arriving recently.<\/p>\n

“So, they’ve actually rationed us without even\u202ftelling\u202fus,” she said.<\/p>\n

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Disability supporter worker struggles to afford long drives to help clients<\/p>\n

In Sydney, 24-year-old disability support worker Izzy Van Der Vliet does not earn extra money when she drives long distances to see clients.<\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

When Izzy Van Der Vliet drives long distances to see her clients, she receives no extra pay. (triple j hack: Supplied)<\/p>\n

The drive to one of her clients’ homes is about 40 minutes each way, for two hours of work.<\/p>\n

With the price of petrol right now, she is not sure what to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She is considering not seeing that client because it is costing her too much in fuel, but it is a difficult decision.<\/p>\n

“I don’t want to leave her without anyone because it’s really important she has these supports,” she told hack.<\/p>\n

\"young<\/p>\n

Izzy Van Der Vliet she needs to drive her clients around, so public transport is not an option.\u00a0 (triple j hack: Supplied)<\/p>\n

The federal government is encouraging Australians to use public transport where possible to conserve fuel \u2014 a point the prime minister repeated on Wednesday evening during a televised address to the nation.<\/p>\n

But for Ms Van Der Vliet, while taking the bus may be an option for personal travel, it is not an option in her current job.<\/p>\n

“If I could, I’d catch public transport to work, but I can’t because I need my car to drive clients places,” she said.<\/p>\n

Petrol now consuming 10pc of pay<\/p>\n

Luke Barbuto moved to Newcastle from Sydney so he could afford to buy a home.<\/p>\n

But the drive to his work at a winery in the Hunter Valley is now taking an ever-expanding proportion of his pay.<\/p>\n

\"young<\/p>\n

Luke Barbuto is spending about 10 per cent of his salary on fuel to drive to his job in the Hunter Valley. (triple j hack: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Around town, he walks or car-pools where possible. But he cannot work from home, as has suggested where possible by the government.<\/p>\n

“[I] can’t\u202fexactly pick the grapes from the\u202flounge room,” he said.\u202f<\/p>\n

“It’s\u202fbasically consuming\u202fabout 10 per cent of my take-home pay now with how much\u202fI’m driving and the cost of fuel.”<\/p>\n

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the fuel excise cut was designed with regional Australians, who often had to drive long distances, in mind.<\/p>\n

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