Queensland Bill Proposes Petrol Price Cap in the State
A bill to cap petrol price increases to a maximum of 5 cents per day, and to lock in 50c public transport fares forever has been introduced into Parliament.
Bart Mellish, Shadow Minister for Transport and Main Roads, published a post on Facebook with the question: “Will the Government support our bill, or will they ignore Queenslanders struggling under volatile petrol costs?”
The Transport Affordability Amendment Bill 2026 aims to tackle sudden price hikes and promoting transparency in fuel pricing, according to the Minister.
With data covering just 25-30% of hospitals, the real number is likely far higher. RACQ’s Dr Michael Kane called it a “rapidly worsening situation” and urged immediate action. “Queensland’s e-mobility crisis has reached tipping point,” Dr Kane said.
In practice, Fuel retailers will have to submit a fuel price notice to the Queensland Commissioner before 2 pm on the day prior to selling fuel. Notices must state the price at which fuel will be offered without discounts during the ensuing 24-hour “relevant period.”
Retailers are prohibited from increasing the price of a fuel type during its relevant period above the price stated in the notice. If a retailer offers fuel at a lower price within the relevant period, it must issue a reduced-price notice within 30 minutes, naming the retailer and service station.
The bill also states that when setting a new fuel price notice, fuel retailers cannot state a price more than 5 cents per litre higher than the price in the previous notice (or last reduced price), preventing sharp spikes from day to day.
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