The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) will urgently meet with fuel market participants to seek more detailed explanations for recent pricing conduct during the current Middle Eastern crisis, amid consumer concerns about sudden petrol and diesel price spikes and distribution issues in regional and rural Australia.

The ACCC will also commence weekly market updates to provide increased transparency to consumers and enhanced scrutiny of retailers’ behaviour.

ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said:

“We are closely watching market behaviour and if there is conduct that is collusive or misleading or deceptive, we will investigate it and take action where appropriate.”

In addition, the ACCC is urgently exploring measures to assist with diesel distribution issues in regional and rural areas, in partnership with other relevant agencies.

“We are aware of concerning reports about diesel availability in regional and rural Australia. We know how critical diesel supply is to primary producers, transport businesses and many others, so we are prioritising our work to assist with this,” Ms Brakey said.

“The ACCC is able to authorise conduct, such as coordination or agreements relating to distribution, where it provides a net public benefit. We stand ready to receive an application for authorisation.”

The ACCC wrote to petrol retailers last week seeking information about recent price increases and are expecting their responses by the end of the day.

“We are now calling the industry into an emergency meeting to explain their actions during this period of volatility,” Ms Brakey said.

“At that meeting we will reiterate our expectations to industry and ask that they explain to the Australian community the reasons behind recent price spikes. We are also inviting representatives of motoring organisations representing the voice of consumers to be part of these discussions.”

“The petrol industry should be under no illusions. We will act decisively and to the fullest extent of the law,” Ms Brakey said.

The ACCC also welcomes government plans to move to increase the maximum penalties for relevant breaches of Australian Consumer Law and the Competition and Consumer Act by fuel companies from $50 to $100 million and will seek the highest penalties appropriate in any cases we bring to the courts.

In February 2026, The Federal Court ordered Mobil Oil Australia to pay $16 million in penalties for making false or misleading representations about the fuel sold at nine petrol stations in north and central Queensland, in breach of the Australian Consumer Law.