Wednesday, 18 March 2026

 Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh – Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Local Government) (19:25): I thank the member for Laverton for raising that request during the adjournment debate tonight. It is fair to say that Victorians are currently watching every dollar. The conflict in the Middle East has pushed the global oil price up, and that has meant that we are seeing higher fuel prices here. That is just stating the obvious, but when you couple that with the decision of the RBA yesterday to raise interest rates, I know that people are feeling the pinch, including in the member for Laverton’s electorate.

What is the government doing about fuel prices? The Allan Labor government is leading the nation when it comes to our fair fuel plan. It was introduced in two phases. The first phase was the launch of the Servo Saver feature on the Service Victoria app. Servo Saver is the only fuel finder feature where every single service station is required to report their fuel price in real time. I am pleased to advise the member for Laverton that we currently have 1680 service stations in Victoria registered on Servo Saver. On 10 March the Premier and I launched phase 2 of the fair fuel plan. Phase 2 requires every service station to notify the government of the next day’s maximum fuel price. By 2 pm each day service stations in Victoria have to notify the government of their next day’s maximum fuel price. That will be public on the Service Victoria app at 4 pm, and it will kick in at 6 am for a 24-hour period. For that 24-hour period from 6 am service stations will not be able to increase fuel prices above that maximum price, but they will be able to decrease them at any time throughout the day. It is giving Victorians certainty about fuel prices. It is also giving Victorians the most up-to-date information so that they can make an informed decision about where they go to fill up at the bowser. If you look at data from the ACCC in 2023, it demonstrated that had Victorians that year filled up at the bowser at the lowest price point throughout the year, they would have saved over $300. I know Victorians are looking at every dollar, and it is about giving Victorians the most up-to-date information.

I would also say on the supply issue that our colleague the Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, has requested a meeting of energy ministers with Chris Bowen. I understand that that meeting is taking place on Friday. Yesterday the security and emergency management committee of cabinet, of which I am a member, met. While there is not a supply issue at the moment, we need to be ready for continuity to ensure that our essential services continue, because the reality is we do not know how long this conflict in the Middle East will last. I do thank the member for Laverton for raising this adjournment matter. It is important that we do what we can, notwithstanding the fact that a lot of these inflationary pressures are not of our making, to make sure that we help Victorians save money and we help Victorians ease cost-of-living pressures.

A number of other members raised matters for various other ministers, and they will be referred.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The house stands adjourned until tomorrow morning.

House adjourned 7:30 pm.