Regulator summons fuel giants over price hikes

Jonathan Barrett

The consumer watchdog is calling major fuel suppliers and retailers to an emergency meeting today to demand explanations for the recent surge in petrol prices.

Fuel prices have surged in recent weeks and some regional retailers have even run dry, with customers panic-buying petrol over concerns the Middle East conflict will lead to shortages.

Representatives of major fuel suppliers and retailers, including Chevron, BP and Ampol, have been called in to the meeting run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said:

double quotation markToday the regulator will get a chance to make the retailers and suppliers justify their prices. I’ve made it very clear that if they find evidence of misconduct, we expect the ACCC to throw the book at them.

Photograph: Jay Kogler/AAP

Petrol prices have started to push past 230c per litre in most state capitals.

Global oil prices have surged by about 40% in March in response to the Middle East conflict and closure of the crucial strait of Hormuz, prompting fears of a breakout in global inflation.

Determining the direct impact of global oil prices on pump prices has historically proven difficult due to the supply chain’s complexity.

Donald Trump has called on regional partners to assist in securing the strait, which is largely controlled by Iran.

Share

Updated at 18.12 EDT

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

A police operation in Lidcombe has ended with no arrests, no injuries and no shots fired, police say.

As we reported a short time ago, police were called to a unit block in Lidcombe at about 7.20am after numerous reports to triple zero of a man acting suspiciously following an argument between a woman and a man at the address.

A perimeter was established, and the public was urged to avoid the area.

Share

Victorian farmers urge commuters to swap cars for public transport

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has asked commuters to leave their cars at home and use public transport to relieve pressures on fuel supplies.

VFF president Brett Hosking said that for most Victorians, a fuel shortage means “cancelled plans, longer queues and a tighter weekly budget”, but that for farmers, “timing is everything”:

double quotation markFarming runs on narrow weather windows, and if the tank is empty at the wrong moment you can’t just wait for prices to settle, you lose the opportunity, and sometimes the entire crop.

Keeping farmers moving is in everyone’s interest. Victorian farmers grow almost a quarter of Australia’s food and feed millions more across the globe.

Should just one in five Victorian car commuters adopt public transport, it would save enough fuel to plant roughly half of Australia’s wheat, barley, canola and lentil crop, he said. He continued:

double quotation markA little would go a long way. Even taking one or two trips a week on the train, tram or bus instead of driving can leave more fuel in the system for the jobs that keep supermarket shelves stocked.

The VFF is calling on the state government to temporarily make public transport free across Victoria and to run services more often.

ShareCaitlin Cassidy

Peak bodies urge federal government to rebuild Australia’s research sector after strategic review paints a dire picture

Australia’s leading scientists say “urgent attention” is needed to reform the nation’s Research and Development (R&D) system after a strategic review, commissioned by the federal government and released on Tuesday, found the system was underfunded, underperforming and under-coordinated.

Among its 20 recommendations were lifting the PhD stipend to $50,000 in priority areas, which currently languishes at $34,315 (below the Henderson Poverty line of $690.50 per week) and better supporting and funding the CSIRO.

Australian Academy of Science president Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC said the government should have been prioritising R&D decades ago:

double quotation markSenator the Hon Tim Ayres, Minister for Science, has recognised that business must play a greater role if Australia is to lift overall investment in R&D. They must. However, the Australian Government must also reverse its own underinvestment. Putting research at the centre of the Government’s productivity agenda is essential for our future prosperity. Rebuilding Australia’s research system will take multiple budgets – but it must start with this one.

The chief executive of Universities Australia, Luke Sheehy, said for “too long Australia has been falling behind in the global race for research and innovation, while our economy remains heavily reliant on digging things out of the ground instead of building new industries”. He continued:

double quotation markIt’s now up to the government to make the most of this opportunity and respond with ambition.

Universities Australia CEO, Luke Sheehy. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare

Updated at 19.17 EDT

Major police response in Sydney’s west after reports of man acting suspiciously

Heavily armed police have swarmed a unit block just a day after a man was killed in a gangland-style shooting nearby, AAP reports.

Police were called to a unit block in Lidcombe about 7.20am after numerous reports to triple zero of a man acting suspiciously.

Heavily armed police, some carrying semi-automatic weapons and wearing camouflage, set up a perimeter around the block of units, located near Stadium Australia.

The public is urged to avoid the area. Police said there had been no reports of injuries.

Tuesday’s dramatic police presence follows a fatal shooting inside a Lidcombe unit on Monday. There is no reported link between the two events.

NSW police have been approached for comment.

Share

Brisbane Roar football club welcome two Iranian women’s team players

The Brisbane Roar welcomed two Iranian women’s team players this morning, saying the pair had been invited to the club’s training facilities to train with its squad.

The club wrote on X:

double quotation markWelcome, Fatemeh and Atefeh 🦁

Today, Brisbane Roar officially welcomed both Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh to the club’s training facilities to take part in training with our A-League Women squad and remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages.

Welcome, Fatemeh and Atefeh 🦁

Today, Brisbane Roar officially welcomed both Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh to the club’s training facilities to take part in training with our A-League Women squad and remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them… pic.twitter.com/p0BNohIT21

— Brisbane Roar FC (@brisbaneroar) March 16, 2026

Share

Bluesfest collapse leaves punters, suppliers reeling

Ticketholders are not the only ones dudded by the sudden collapse of music festival Bluesfest, with one small business left $90,000 out of pocket, AAP reports.

Uniform Print Lab was supplying merchandise for the Byron Bay festival and spent six weeks printing about 15,000 items including T-shirts, stubby holders, hats and lanyards. The family business in the NSW town of Tweed Heads was organising to deliver it all on Friday when they heard the festival had entered liquidation.

Photograph: Jason O’Brien/AAP

Bluesfest is one of a string of Australian music festivals to hit the wall in recent years, along with Splendour in the Grass and Groovin the Moo.

Promoter Peter Noble had advertised 2025 as the final year of Bluesfest, but when it attracted more than 100,000 patrons across four days, he decided to return in April 2026.

The festival’s collapse has left an estimated $23m in ticket sales in limbo, with appointed liquidators warning ticketholders are unlikely to be refunded.

Share

Updated at 18.33 EDT

Regulator summons fuel giants over price hikes

Jonathan Barrett

The consumer watchdog is calling major fuel suppliers and retailers to an emergency meeting today to demand explanations for the recent surge in petrol prices.

Fuel prices have surged in recent weeks and some regional retailers have even run dry, with customers panic-buying petrol over concerns the Middle East conflict will lead to shortages.

Representatives of major fuel suppliers and retailers, including Chevron, BP and Ampol, have been called in to the meeting run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said:

double quotation markToday the regulator will get a chance to make the retailers and suppliers justify their prices. I’ve made it very clear that if they find evidence of misconduct, we expect the ACCC to throw the book at them.

Photograph: Jay Kogler/AAP

Petrol prices have started to push past 230c per litre in most state capitals.

Global oil prices have surged by about 40% in March in response to the Middle East conflict and closure of the crucial strait of Hormuz, prompting fears of a breakout in global inflation.

Determining the direct impact of global oil prices on pump prices has historically proven difficult due to the supply chain’s complexity.

Donald Trump has called on regional partners to assist in securing the strait, which is largely controlled by Iran.

Share

Updated at 18.12 EDT

Scientists have welcomed a ‘pivotal’ review of Australia’s research sector

Donna Lu

The final report of the federal government’s Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) in industry was released last night. It recommends a simplified system focusing on six priority areas: health and medical, agriculture and food, defence, environment and energy, resources, and technology.

The review, chaired by Robyn Denholm, pushes for a “move away from an underperforming system that is the result of often trifling, incremental improvements, risk aversion and Band-Aid solutions”, and recommends more investment in competitive grant schemes to better fund science research.

The minister for science, Tim Ayres, said:

double quotation markMeeting Australia’s big collective challenges – food and agriculture, energy security, new industrial and tech processes, water security and dealing with the human, animal and plant diseases of the future, to name just a few – requires a modern and fit for purpose research and development system. This report charts out a long-term reform roadmap for me, and for the government to consider over coming months.

Jas Chambers, the president of Science and Technology Australia, said:

double quotation markThis is the first pivotal step in tackling the longstanding challenges facing Australia’s research, development and innovation system that will lead to lasting and intergenerational opportunity.

Our sector is hurting. An STA survey last year found nearly half of Stem professionals are thinking about leaving their role. Action is needed to improve job security and pay, which are the main reasons behind low morale.

Share

Updated at 17.53 EDT

SA opposition leader says Liberals will preference One Nation in her home seat

Ashton Hurn, the South Australia opposition leader, said the Liberals will preference One Nation over the Labor party in her seat of Schubert in the state’s upcoming election.

Hurn spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying there were a “number of different scenarios” the Liberals had planned across dozens of seats, but the priority was “getting rid of the ALP”.

She said:

double quotation markWe’re in the business of getting rid of the ALP. The ALP are a bad government here in South Australia. They have proven time and time again that they’re more interested in PR and politics than they are on delivering practical outcomes for South Australians.

But this is not a vote of confidence in One Nation. In fact, far from it. But you’ve got to put people somewhere on the ballot. That’s the decision that we’ve made. And this is a vote of no confidence in the government. And that’s who I’m focused on defeating at the election on Saturday.

Hurn said she wasn’t concerned about One Nation becoming the opposition party in SA.

Read more about the swing to One Nation here:

Ashton Hurn. Photograph: Matt Turner/AAPShare

Updated at 17.29 EDT

Sarah Basford Canales

Details of revamped disability community program released

The federal government has announced its revamped disability community program will deliver $90m to 62 disability support and advocacy organisations in its first year.

The NDIS minister, Jenny McAllister, will announce today $50m will be given to 38 organisations to support people with disabilities, their carers and families with workshops, mentoring programs and referral services.

Another $40m will be shared between 24 groups aimed at offering information and advice to help the disability community access relevant supports and services.

It comes as the NDIS undergoes a number of changes while the start date for the Thriving Kids program has been delayed to October.

McAllister said:

double quotation markWe want to make sure that people with disability and their families are empowered by a broad network of supports and services on the ground in their communities.

It’s essential for the ILC Program to reflect the genuine needs of the disability community to provide quality, targeted supports to those who need them most.

Share

Updated at 17.55 EDT