The ACCC has formally stepped into the fuel pricing conversation. On 6 March, the consumer watchdog announced it is actively examining both international and domestic fuel price movements and market behaviour in response to the Middle East conflict, and has written directly to major fuel companies to set out its expectations on how pricing should be handled as events unfold.

ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey was blunt. While acknowledging that international refined fuel costs are largely outside the control of local retailers, she warned that making false or misleading statements to consumers about the reasons for price increases would breach Australian Consumer Law. She also made clear that the ACCC would not hesitate to take enforcement action if it identified market behaviour or pricing representations that crossed the line.

For independent operators, this is worth paying attention to. The ACCC’s letters went to the majors, but the Australian Consumer Law applies to everyone at the retail level. If you are making claims to customers about why your prices have moved, whether on your price board, on social media, or in conversation, those claims need to be accurate.

The practical reality is that most independents are simply passing through the wholesale cost increases they are facing at the terminal gate. That is entirely legitimate and defensible. Terminal gate prices have moved sharply in response to the Brent crude surge, the disruption to Strait of Hormuz shipping, China’s suspension of refined fuel exports, and the broader tightening of regional supply. Those are real, verifiable cost pressures.

Where operators need to be careful is in overstating the situation or using the crisis as cover for margin expansion that isn’t justified by their actual cost movements. The ACCC has the data. It tracks terminal gate prices, international benchmarks, and retail margins on a rolling basis. If retail prices move significantly faster or further than the underlying wholesale costs warrant, that will show up in the ACCC’s monitoring.

It is also worth noting the timing. The ACCC’s announcement came alongside the release of its December quarter 2025 petrol monitoring report, which found that average gross indicative retail differences (the broad measure of retail margins) across the five largest cities were 17.9 cents per litre in the quarter, 1.5 cents per litre higher than the previous quarter. In other words, retail margins were already attracting scrutiny before the Middle East situation escalated. The ACCC was already watching.

The Mobil Oil penalty is also relevant context. 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. That case was about fuel quality misrepresentation, not pricing, but it demonstrates the ACCC’s willingness to pursue enforcement action against fuel retailers and the scale of penalties that can result.

So what should you actually do? Keep it simple. Your pricing should reflect your actual costs. If a customer asks why prices have gone up, point to the global situation and the wholesale cost increases that have flowed through. Do not make specific claims you cannot back up. Do not suggest supply is about to run out if you do not have evidence of that. And if you are advertising fuel prices, make sure your signage reflects what customers will actually pay at the bowser.

The ACCC has extended its petrol monitoring arrangements for a further five years from 1 January 2026, following a new Ministerial Direction issued in December 2025. That means this level of scrutiny is not going away. For independent operators who are doing the right thing, pricing honestly and passing through genuine cost movements, there is nothing to worry about. But the ACCC’s message is clear: they are watching.