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NatRoad slams fuel cost rise

NatRoad has criticised the federal government for the recent fuel cost rise that lumps more pain on transport operators

The National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) says the recent fuel cost rise is the price hike the road transport industry didn’t have to have.

From August, the indexation on diesel fuel excise rises from 0.221 cents per litre to 0.230 cents per litre.

It is in line with the Australian Tax Office’s twice-yearly indexation of the excise duty rates for fuel and petroleum products other than aviation fuels and certain petroleum-based products.

NatRoad CEO Warren Clark says it is based on the upward movement of the consumer price index.

“While the rise may seem inconsequential in the scheme of things, even small increases are chipping away at the viability of every road transport operator in the country,” Clark says.

“One of our members that operates a fleet estimates that this will set his operation back by $1500 per week or almost $80,000 a year.

“That cost has to be recovered from customers, which further increases their overheads and contributes to inflation.”


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Over the 12 months to the June 2022 quarter, the CPI rose by 6.1 per cent.

The percentage increase for the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ transport sector was 13.1 per cent.

Clark says automotive fuel prices have risen for eight consecutive quarters.

“We know some of these pressures have been caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine coupled with ongoing easing of COVID-19 restrictions which has strengthened global demand, but heavy vehicles copped it with the loss of the Fuel Tax Credit in the last federal budget,” Clark says.

“We have spoken to the new federal treasurer’s office and expect that to be restored in September, but that step will be accompanied by a sharp rise in the cost of diesel fuel after removal of the halving of excise at the bowser.

“NatRoad continues to push the case with the federal Ggvernment for special relief for road transport.”

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