Securing fuel for our community
Published on 13 April 2026
Hepburn Shire Council is joining numerous other rural and regional councils in calling for both state and federal governments to continue to work together to ensure our communities have access to fuel.
Mayor, Cr Tony Clark, said that the government needs to continue to act to protect our farmers, our food and our businesses, and support our communities.
“Hepburn Shire relies on consistent, dependable fuel sources to be able to contribute to broader industries and economies, like tourism and Australia’s food supply chain.”
“Our communities are worried, and we need strong commitments from state and federal governments now.”
“We also want Victoria to know that the Hepburn Shire is still open for business and we encourage visitors to eat, drink, stay and play at any and all of our thriving local businesses.”
Cost-of-living pressures are taking their toll across the board, but we encourage visitors to continue to enjoy what the Shire has to offer and to make the most of the free public transport available in April.
Our community is known for its hospitality, and we want to encourage everyone to continue to look out for each other and lend a hand when needed.
Internally, Council is planning and preparing for potential short and long-term fuel impacts on its own services and operations, including capital project delivery.
“While Council continues to carry out it’s day-to-day operations as normal, it is paying close attention to budgeting and project delivery timelines,” said Cr Clark.
Council has already received cost variations for existing projects and is noticing pricing uncertainty with current works tenders, but we are working with suppliers to limit impacts.
Council is receiving diesel deliveries as normal with commitments to the end of April and is monitoring the situation daily.
The Australian Government launched their National Fuel Security Campaign on Monday 13 April to raise awareness of the National Fuel Security Plan and to help Australian’s feel prepared and supported to take actions during Level 2 of the Plan.
Drivers are encouraged to adopt simple, practical behaviours to use less fuel – helping our fuel supply to go further and saving fuel for our truckies, farmers and essential services.
Read more about the campaign