The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reminded retailers that making false or misleading statements to consumers about the reasons for fuel price increases would be in breach of the Australian consumer law, and it wrote to major fuel companies to set out its expectations about domestic fuel pricing, ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said in a Friday statement.

The regulator is examining international and domestic fuel price movements and market behaviour in the wake of the Middle East conflict. The international price of refined petrol is a key driver of Australian retail petrol prices.

In the December 2025 quarter, average retail petrol prices across the five largest cities were AU$1.804 per liter, AU$0.016 per liter higher than the previous quarter. Across over 190 regional locations that the regulator monitors, average retail petrol prices in aggregate were AU$1.806 per liter.

Crude oil prices trended downward during the December 2025 quarter despite geopolitical tensions as global inventories increased to their highest level in nearly four years.