The fuel stations in Perth and regional WA that have run out of petrol and diesel due to Middle East war
Amidst the war in the Middle East, the number of fuel stations in Perth and regional Western Australia is increasing, with the state being placed on “yellow alert” for shortages.
The global fuel crisis saw WA upgraded from “white alert” to “yellow alert” last week; This is the second alarm on a four-level scale.
The yellow alert assumes the province is at “high risk of acute supply disruption” and occurs when “supply channels” are “moderately compromised.”
On Wednesday, 12 service stations reported that they were out of unleaded gasoline, while 14 stations reported that they were out of diesel.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has insisted the Government is working to help regions, amid reports that major suppliers are bypassing independent outlets for branded facilities in Perth.
Simon Leske, who has owned and operated Hills Emporio in Karragullen for seven years, has been running out of fuel for three weeks.
“I don’t think there’s an end in sight yet,” he said.
“I spoke to my supplier the other day and he said he had only been given 15 per cent of his normal allocation and was trying to distribute it to farms and regions.”
He said more needed to be done to stop the four major oil distributors from cutting off fuel from independents and to get fuel to regional areas.
“The government needs to look after little guys like me too. I feel like they don’t care about small businesses. All the gas stations around me seem to have no fuel problems and like I said we’re out of fuel.”
“But more importantly, keep an eye on the farmers so they can plant their seeds.”
The problems are spreading across the state; Esperance, Geraldon, Mount Barker and Geographe are also on the list, with farming communities particularly worried about the upcoming harvest season.
Western Australian Motor Trade Association president Neil Le Febvre said some regional areas had seen demand quadruple since the start of the war.
“The big brands have contracts with their stations, and then there are the independents who don’t have deals, so they often rely on spot pricing,” he said.
“The challenge here is contract law and the fact that large suppliers are required to deliver to their own branded outlets, thus putting these independents in a difficult position.
“Panic buying has depleted supply to a certain extent.”
Fuel prices will continue to rise in Western Australia on Thursday, with five metro brands recording increases.
The average unleaded price per liter in the metro area will be 258.30c/litre, while the State’s maximum price will be 284.80c/litre at Hedland Port.
The average diesel price throughout the city is 307.10 c/litre.
The cheapest outlet in the metro will be Vibe stations, with the brand average falling 4.3 cents to 249.30c/litre.
Caltex will be the most expensive brand with 268.30 c/litre.
