We are now four weeks into this crisis. More than 600 service stations across the country have run out of at least one fuel type. Petrol reserves sit at 38 days. Diesel at 26. The government says supply is secure. But if you’re standing behind a counter with dry tanks and frustrated customers, the national numbers don’t mean much. Here is what changed this week.
The fuel exists. It’s not reaching you.
NSW Premier Chris Minns put it plainly: there is more fuel in Australia today than there was on 25 January. The six shipments cancelled earlier in the crisis have been replaced. Terminals are receiving product. But the allocation decisions being made at the terminal gate are favouring the major chains’ contracted volumes over independent supply. Independent distributors and wholesalers, many of whom are ServoPro members, are being caught in the same squeeze. They are turning up to terminals and being told product is limited or unavailable, which flows directly through to the independent retailers they supply. This is not a failure of independent distribution. It is a failure of allocation at the source.
This is no longer just a regional problem. In NSW alone, 187 stations are out of diesel, and for the first time more outages are in metropolitan Sydney than in the bush. The same pattern is playing out in Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia. The crisis is a distribution and allocation failure, not a supply shortage.
New crisis infrastructure you need to know about
The government has built a crisis management structure in the past two weeks that did not exist before. Anthea Harris has been appointed as the national Fuel Supply Taskforce Coordinator, reporting directly to the PM from within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Every state and territory has appointed a dedicated fuel supply coordinator to work with the Commonwealth. The Department is now publishing weekly fuel stockholding data every Friday, a major increase in transparency.
In NSW, the energy supply emergency declared on 20 March gives the state government powers to direct fuel to specific regions, force suppliers to sell to designated customers, and assume control of fuel distribution businesses if necessary. This week, NSW moved to force major fuel companies to reveal how they are allocating supply across the state. If these powers are used meaningfully, they could change the dynamics for independent operators who have been shut out. Other states are watching closely.
If you are being denied supply, receiving reduced allocations, or unable to source product, these are the channels that now exist to escalate the issue. We are working to establish direct communication between ServoPro and the relevant state and federal coordinators so member experiences can be reported and actioned.
Plan for months, not weeks
Every signal from government this week points to a crisis that will extend well into the second half of 2026. The diesel quality standards relaxation has been extended to six months. The Fuel Tsar is a standing appointment, not a temporary fix. Weekly reporting has begun as an ongoing measure. Add the RBA’s rate hike to 4.10% on 17 March, with another expected in May, and the compounding pressure on operators carrying site mortgages, equipment finance, and fuel credit is significant.
Review your supplier relationships now. If you’re buying on the spot market, consider whether a supply agreement gives you more certainty during the crisis. Talk to your bank about cash flow. And document every instance where you are refused supply or given a reduced allocation. This evidence matters, both for your own records and for the industry case being made to government. The more we hear from you, the stronger that case becomes.