Perth Drivers Pay 25 Cents Less Per Litre While Eastern States Endure 95 Day Price Cycles

Something doesn't add up when Perth motorists can plan their fill ups a day in advance while Brisbane drivers just endured a 95 day price cycle with only three cheap days. Same country, same fuel, wildly different experiences at the bowser.

Western Australia figured this out 25 years ago. The rest of the country is still arguing about it.

What Perth Has That You Don't

Every afternoon at 2:30pm, West Australians can log onto FuelWatch and see exactly what every service station in Perth will charge tomorrow. Not a prediction, not an estimate. The actual, locked in price that retailers are legally required to honour for 24 hours from 6am.

This isn't some bureaucratic pipe dream. The scheme has been running since January 2001 under the Petroleum Products Pricing Act 1983, giving the Western Australian government authority to enforce price transparency.

The practical upshot? Perth has been the cheapest or second cheapest major capital city for unleaded petrol every year since 2019. The city runs on a predictable seven day cycle where prices jump on Wednesday then fall steadily until Tuesday, when you'll often find fuel at or below wholesale prices.

Compare that to what's happening on the east coast.

Brisbane's 95 Day Nightmare

In early 2025, Brisbane drivers suffered through what the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland called "the longest price cycle we've ever seen." Over 95 consecutive days, motorists faced high retail margins on 39 of those days, with prices exceeding 25 cents per litre above the wholesale cost. Only three days offered what RACQ considers cheap fuel.

During that same 95 day period, Perth had one expensive day and 38 cheap days.

RACQ economist Dr Ian Jeffreys didn't mince words: "A typical fuel price cycle would usually last about six weeks. We have never seen a cycle last three months."

The numbers tell the story. Average retail margins in Brisbane sat at 22.2 cents per litre. Perth's were half that at 11.1 cents.

The $426 Question

The NRMA has put a dollar figure on this disparity. Australian families in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane are paying an estimated $426 more per year for fuel compared to families in Western Australia.

That's not some theoretical calculation. It's the cost of living in a state where fuel prices can swing wildly within hours, where there's no obligation for retailers to stick to a price once you've seen it advertised, and where cycles have stretched from weekly fluctuations back in 2010 to the six week marathons now standard in Queensland.

Peter Khoury from NRMA summed it up: "The longer the cycles, the more exposed to the higher prices motorists become and unfortunately it's led to another year of unnecessary pain at the bowser."

Why Eastern States Don't Have FuelWatch

This isn't because nobody tried.

In 2008, the Rudd government attempted to roll out FuelWatch nationally at a cost of $20.9 million over four years. The legislation died in the Senate, voted down by an unlikely coalition of the Liberal Party, Nationals, and the Australian Greens.

The arguments against it are worth revisiting, because they're the same ones you'll hear today.

Critics claimed the 24 hour notification rule would actually reduce competition because a retailer who discovered their price was slightly higher than a competitor couldn't adjust it until the next day. Industry representatives argued it would lead to higher prices, not lower ones.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission itself expressed concerns at the time that price locking "can actually reduce competition."

And yet, 25 years of data from Western Australia tells a different story. Perth drivers consistently pay less, have more predictability, and can actually plan their fuel purchases around known information rather than guesswork.

What the ACCC Does (And Doesn't Do)

Here's the thing most Australians don't realise: the ACCC doesn't set or control fuel prices. It doesn't regulate the industry. It monitors and reports.

On 18 December 2025, the federal government extended the ACCC's fuel monitoring powers for another five years from 1 January 2026. They'll continue publishing quarterly reports on retail petrol prices.

But monitoring isn't the same as doing something about it.

The ACCC can investigate if they believe a fuel retailer has broken competition or consumer law. Price fixing, collusion between sellers. That sort of thing. But the price cycles themselves? The ACCC's own website states plainly that "petrol price cycles are the result of pricing decisions made by various petrol retailers."

Not illegal. Just expensive for consumers.

The Calls Getting Louder

Queensland Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg has joined the chorus demanding an ACCC inquiry into petrol pricing. He's suggested a cap on daily fuel price hikes should be considered.

The NRMA is pushing for a comprehensive investigation into why Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne have such prolonged cycles compared to regulated markets.

The RACQ wants the fuel market in Queensland regulated entirely, calling for a five cent per litre daily price cap designed to stop fuel companies hiking their prices significantly overnight.

Industry response? Predictable. Mark McKenzie, CEO of the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association, argues the longer cycles reflect "broader cost of living adjustments rather than price control." Market dynamics, not manipulation.

Except Perth faces the same market dynamics. The same international oil prices. The same shipping costs from Singapore (where Australia sources most of its refined fuel). Yet Perth drivers consistently pay less and can plan their purchases in advance.

The January 2026 Reality Check

Right now, unleaded 91 in Melbourne averages 202.17 cents per litre. In Adelaide, it's 155.76 cents. That's a 46 cent difference for the same fuel in the same country.

Perth sits at the cheaper end, as it has for years. Tuesday remains the best day to fill up there, something West Australians have known with certainty since the Howard era.

Meanwhile, Sydney drivers saw prices fall 7 cents per litre last week and are expecting the bottom in the high 150s or low 160s. But that's an expectation, not a guarantee. Tomorrow's price could be anything.

What This Actually Means for You

If you live in Perth or regional Western Australia, keep doing what you're doing. Check FuelWatch at 2:30pm, fill up on Tuesdays, and enjoy the predictability.

If you're anywhere else, here's the uncomfortable truth: you're participating in an unregulated market where retailers can change prices whenever they like, where cycles can stretch for months at a time, and where the regulator's job is to watch and report, not intervene.

The NRMA, RACQ, and several state politicians are pushing for change. The federal government has so far played a dead bat on ordering an ACCC inquiry. The industry insists everything is fine.

Worth noting: 2025 was actually the cheapest year for petrol since COVID. Prices may drop slightly further in 2026, according to NRMA forecasts. But cheaper than recent years isn't the same as fair compared to what's possible.

Western Australia proved 25 years ago that transparency and accountability at the bowser work. The rest of Australia is still waiting for someone to take the hint.

The Takeaway

The debate over fuel price regulation isn't new, but the evidence keeps piling up. Perth's FuelWatch delivers cheaper, more predictable prices. Eastern state cycles keep getting longer. Motoring organisations want an inquiry. Politicians are joining the calls. The industry says nothing's wrong.

Somewhere in there lies your next fill up. Plan it carefully, because unlike West Australians, you're on your own.