Media response - fuel costs
Published on 24 March 2026
Enquiry - The Advertiser
I understand that during a recent budget discussion (I believe this was during the March 10 elected members session), staff advised that fuel costs could increase council's expenses by at least $400,000 and I was hoping to get a bit more information around this.
- Can council confirm this figure and is this an annual amount?
- Would council consider raising rates to cover such an increase?
- If not, how will council cover such a cost increase?
- How many vehicles is the council responsible for fuelling? Does this include garbage trucks?
- What services are these vehicles used for?
- If council's fuel costs significantly increase, will services be affected?
- How have rising fuel prices affected the council so far?
- How much did council spend on fuel in the 24/25 financial year?
Response
The $400,000 figure was discussed as a potential impact to our internal fuel use if the average price of fuel was to rise by 40c per litre during 2026–27.
If this cost impact was to materialise, we would need to identify how we could find the increased cost from existing resources. This could require a reallocation of budget from other services.
We currently have 284 vehicles we’re responsible for fuelling, including waste trucks. Other services these vehicles are used for include street sweeping, community bus programs, mowing, tree services, watering, road repairs and renewal, library services, community centres, facility operations, playground maintenance, graffiti removal, security, after-hours emergency call-outs, dog management, fire prevention and community safety (rangers).
We’re yet to receive an invoice for fuel supply since the rise in prices. We spent $1,840,095 on fuel in 2024–25.
ENDS