Junee servo backflips on diesel price as others hold steady

JUNEE’S Shell service station has seemingly backflipped on diesel prices, slashing 13 cents from the bowser just two days after jacking the cost and triggering backlash across town.

Checks on Wednesday show diesel at the Illabo Road site has dropped to 316.9 cents per litre, down from 329.9c/L.

The sudden retreat comes less than two days after the servo lifted diesel by a total of 20 cents across two increases on Monday, including a controversial 14-cent spike within hours of the federal government announcing its $2.5 billion fuel tax cut package.

READ MORE: Diesel drops below $3 in Wagga

It was the only one of Junee’s three major service stations to increase prices after the announcement, a move that quickly drew scrutiny across the community.

Wednesday’s cut brings the site back into line with Junee’s other major servos, United and Mobil, which had either held firm or moved lower earlier in the week at 313.9c/L.

Diesel prices in Junee as at 2pm Wednesday, April 1, 2026 | Source: FuelCheck.nsw.gov.au

RELIEF COMING — BUT NOT OVERNIGHT

The federal government’s excise cut officially came into force on Wednesday and is expected to reduce petrol and diesel prices by 26.3 cents per litre.

For motorists, that equates to a saving of around $10.50 on a 40-litre tank, or about $21 on an 80-litre fill.

However, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has cautioned that the full benefit will not be immediate.

“The fuel in the tanks right now has been purchased at the higher rate, and so people should expect it would take somewhere between maybe one and two weeks for the full benefit of the excise to flow through,” he said.

READ MORE: The real cost of filling up — where your money goes

“People shouldn’t rock up at five past midnight tonight and expect to see the full benefit passed on.”

That means while prices may begin to ease, the full impact of the tax cut may take days — or even weeks — to fully filter through to the bowser.

CRISIS DEEPENS AS SHORTAGES SPREAD

The latest price movements come amid a broader fuel crisis unfolding across Australia’s eastern states.

More than 400 service stations were without diesel on Wednesday, including 247 in NSW, 82 in Victoria and 77 in Queensland.

Despite the shortages, the federal government maintains that overall supply remains stable, with rising demand placing pressure on distribution and pricing.

READ MORE: Outrage as Junee servo lifts diesel price 20c

Australia is currently operating at level two of its four-stage national fuel response plan, with authorities working to avoid escalation to level four, where fuel rationing could be introduced.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government’s focus remained firmly on maintaining supply.

“We have been concentrating on supply, supply, supply,” he said.

“People are doing it tough. There is uncertainty over the war and uncertainty over how it ends. This is causing understandable anxiety.”

HOW MUCH FUEL DOES AUSTRALIA HAVE?

Australia is currently estimated to hold 39 days of petrol, 30 days of diesel and 30 days of jet fuel.

Earlier modelling suggested rationing could be triggered if reserves fell to around 10 days’ supply.

In response to the crisis, the government has already released six days’ worth of petrol and five days’ worth of diesel from emergency stockpiles, with those supplies being directed toward areas experiencing shortages.

THE BOTTOM LINE

While Wednesday’s price drop in Junee signals some early movement, it also highlights just how volatile fuel pricing remains.

For motorists hoping for immediate relief, the message from Canberra is clear: the cut is coming — but don’t expect to see it all at once.

And as this week has shown, what happens at the bowser can still move just as quickly in the opposite direction.