There have been temporary fuel stock shortages across Greater Geelong following an increase in demand.
Service stations across the region have experienced a huge increase in demand for fuel since the beginning of this month, with many locations temporarily running out of unleaded or diesel supplies.
APCO director Peter Anderson said he appreciated the community’s patience and understanding while fuel supplies continued to be restocked.
“Our approach has always been to price fairly and responsibly,” he said.
“We are not increasing margins to take advantage of the situation; that simply is not in our DNA.”
The lowest price across petrol stations in Greater Geelong for Unleaded 91 was recorded at between 206.9 and 209.9 cents per litre as of noon on 12 March, according to the Servo Saver app.
The state government introduced anti-price gouging laws on 10 March following the increase in demand, to ensure retailers set a daily cap on fuel prices and publish the price in advance.
“How often do you see a cheap price in the morning, only for it to jump by the afternoon? We’re stopping families from getting ripped off at the servo and helping them save hundreds a year,” Premier Jacinta Allan said.
The new laws mean that retailers have until 2pm to set their fuel price for the next day, with the capped price published on Servo Saver at 4pm on that day.
