As fuel prices soar, the ACT Legislative Assembly this week passed a Canberra Liberals motion to provide urgent cost-of-living relief for people impacted by the high cost of petrol and diesel.

Since the Iran War broke out in early March, Australia has seen the sharpest rise in fuel prices in the developed world, according to the Australian Institute of Petroleum. In Canberra, petrol has risen by 28 per cent to $2.40/litre, and diesel by 44 percent to more than $3, meaning Canberrans pay an extra $10 to $15 million to refuel.

Opposition leader Mark Parton MLA called on the ACT Government to trial 50-cent fares for buses and trams, following Queensland’s example.

Following a Greens amendment, the government will consider free public transport for concession card holders, and seek federal funding for free public transport for the duration of the fuel supply crisis and for 50-cent fares beyond.

Mr Parton also called on party leaders and independent MLAs to write to the Prime Minister, urging him to immediately reduce or temporarily suspend the federal fuel excise; at 53 cents a litre, it makes up 20 per cent of the cost of a tank of petrol.

“For many Australians … fuel is an unavoidable weekly expense,” Mr Parton wrote. “Families must drive to work, take children to school, attend appointments, and manage day-to-day life. When fuel prices rise sharply, the effect is immediate and challenging…

“Households across Australia are already under sustained pressure from high grocery prices, rising insurance premiums, higher mortgage repayments, and inflationary strain. Rising fuel prices are not a minor inconvenience. They hit family budgets hard and flow through the economy, increasing costs for tradies, small businesses, freight, farming and essential services.

“Fuel excise relief would be simple and visible. It would reach people quickly and would particularly assist those who do not have the luxury of changing their transport habits or absorbing yet another increase in household costs.”

Independent MLA Thomas Emerson’s proposal to rapidly implement dedicated bus lanes on rapid routes and pop-up separated cycle lanes on major corridors such as Northbourne Avenue was also rejected.

Mr Emerson said he was dismayed ACT Labor and the Canberra Liberals voted down his amendment, and called the result “a watered-down motion with no firm commitment to any action on the part of the ACT Government”. 

“The primary outcome of this motion is that we’re all required to write letters to the Prime Minister,” Mr Emerson said. “It’s incredibly disappointing that the major parties teamed up to vote against requiring the ACT Government to actually implement any practical measures to support Canberrans looking to reduce their fuel use.

“We’ve got a fuel supply crisis that’s not going away, and we’re literally doing nothing about it.

“The Government is encouraging people in our community to use less fuel, but isn’t providing the infrastructure needed to make that possible.

“This was a missed opportunity to show some real leadership and deliver lower public transport fares, dedicated bus lanes and pop-up bike lanes to make reduced car usage a viable option for Canberrans.”

Independent Senator David Pocock’s similar motion, calling for accessible, free or affordable nationwide public transport and active transport infrastructure, was voted down in the Senate earlier this week.

Greens MLA Andrew Braddock’s proposal to advocate a 25 per cent tax on gas exports was also rejected.