News
25 March, 2026
Local businesses feeling the pinch of higher fuel costs
Local businesses across the regions are telling us at The Southern Wire that they are feeling the pinch when it comes to carrying out their everyday tasks due to the increase in fuel prices.
Local businesses across the regions are telling us at The Southern Wire that they are feeling the pinch when it comes to carrying out their everyday tasks due to the increase in fuel prices.
One such small business, Narellan Vale – based South West Sydney Pest Control Pty. Ltd, said the rise in fuel costs directly increases their operating costs significantly.
“The rising cost of fuel is definitely hitting small businesses like ours hard,” Nick from South West Sydney Pest Control said.
“Pest control is a mobile service — we’re on the road all day, every day — so when fuel prices jump, it directly increases our operating costs overnight.
“We’re not just doing one or two stops — we’re travelling across suburbs, sometimes hundreds of kilometres a day to service customers. That adds up quickly, and it’s a cost we can’t avoid.
“Like a lot of small businesses, we’re stuck between absorbing those increases or passing them on, and neither option is ideal. We never want to put extra pressure on our customers, but at the same time, these rising fuel costs are making it harder to keep things sustainable.
“At the end of the day, it affects everything —how we schedule jobs, and how we price our services.”
Member for Wollondilly, Judy Hannan urged locals not to ‘panic buy’ fuel and said that it was ‘unfortunate’ that some fuel suppliers seemed to be taking advantage of the current situation.
“It is terrible that we have found ourselves unsure about petrol supply, and unfortunate that some suppliers seem to be taking advantage of the situation and raising prices immediately,” she told The Southern Wire.
“I ask people to be considerate of each other, and not to panic buy, as this will send us into a spiral of shortage.
“Hopefully the conflict will be resolved soon, and things can return to normal.
“I think it is worth considering too that while we are experiencing painful petrol prices in a cost of living crisis, people in the conflict zone in Iran and the surrounding regions are losing lives.”
State Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman also said the cost of fuel was being felt acutely across her electorate, and has urged the State Labor government to take up measures such a locking in a maximum daily price like other states including Western Australia and Victoria.
“Families, tradies and local businesses are already under significant pressure as prices climb past $3 a litre – and with some service stations running out of fuel, the situation is becoming increasingly urgent," Mrs Tuckerman said.
“From my perspective, practical measures are needed now - not after Parliament returns in May, and that’s why the NSW Liberals and Nationals pushed to urgently debate new legislation that would introduce a 24‑hour fuel price guarantee, giving drivers certainty by locking in a maximum daily price and preventing sudden spikes.
“This is a sensible approach already working in WA and Victoria, and it has strong support from the NRMA, which recognises that NSW motorists need transparency and relief immediately.
“Unfortunately, Labor has voted against even debating these measures, prioritising parliamentary tactics over real support for drivers in the midst of a fuel crisis. The Government has not put forward a single cost‑of‑living solution.
“Regional communities rely heavily on fuel, we don’t have the public transport options the city does, and with the current volatility, delays in action only make the situation harder for families, farmers and small businesses. The Labor Government should be ashamed for their lack of action.”
Local government is also experiencing the woes of the fuel crisis, with one such council, Goulburn Mulwaree Council, facing increased costs to it’s fleet of vehicles.
“From a local government perspective, much like everyone in our community, we are experiencing increased pressure on our operational budgets due to rising fuel and diesel costs, particularly in maintaining and operating our vehicle fleet to deliver essential services across the region,” a council spokesperson told The Southern Wire.
“There is also a flow-on impact to the cost of materials required for road construction and maintenance. In addition, we are seeing increased costs from contractors, including transport and delivery services, which is further contributing to overall project and service delivery expenses.
“Council continues to monitor these cost pressures and incorporates them into budget planning processes to ensure continuity of essential services to the community.”
Country Mayors Association (CMA) President, Mayor Rick Firman OAM also summed it up well.
He recently attended the NSW Government’s Rural and Regional Diesel Fuel Security Roundtable meetings.
“The meetings - two of which have been held in the last 7 days, have enabled representative organisations from across the spectrum to come together to voice their concerns and discuss possible ways forward,” Mayor Firman said.
“It was invaluable having farmers representatives, bulk rural carriers, freight transport operators, civil construction businesses, public transport, petroleum distributors, motoring organisations and State and Local Government in the one place to discuss the problems that we are all encountering.”
Read More: Campbelltown, Camden, Wollondilly, Goulburn