By Sonia Isaacs
Fuel security and rising living costs dominated a packed Landsborough town hall, where more than 80 questions were submitted ahead of the forum on Wednesday, April 8.
Residents from across the Sunshine Coast hinterland raised concerns about fuel prices, housing affordability, transport and access to services, with many pointing to growing pressure on household budgets.
“We’re paying more every week and it’s getting harder to plan ahead,” one resident told the meeting.
“You don’t know what fuel is going to cost from one week to the next.”
Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace said Australia faced increasing exposure to global fuel disruptions, warning the country had limited capacity to stabilise supply during a crisis.
“We are now exposed to global fuel price volatility with very little sovereign capability to stabilise our supply during times of crisis,” he said.
Several residents described unpredictable pricing and long queues at service stations, questioning what could be done to ease pressure in both the short and long term.
Mr Wallace said temporary reductions in fuel-related charges could provide immediate relief, but stressed the need for oversight to ensure savings were passed on to motorists.
Longer term, he said Australia needed to expand domestic production, invest in refining capacity and diversify supply lines.
“All I can say is supply, supply, supply,” he said, pointing to potential development of local resources such as Queensland’s Taroom Trough.
“Queensland gas and oil resources should first be used to meet domestic needs, refined locally, and only then exported. That’s how we can give everyday Australians some relief at the pump.”
He also addressed the recent US–Iran interim truce, noting the reopening of the Straits of Hormuz would not bring immediate relief.
“That won’t immediately result in oil or petrol flowing to Australia,” he said. “We would be talking two to three months away.”
Mr Wallace said while the federal government had indicated there was sufficient fuel supply for April and May, projections beyond that remained uncertain.
“They wouldn’t go beyond May because it is very difficult to determine what happens in two months’ time with the current situation,” he said.
Even if the truce holds, he warned prices were unlikely to return to previous levels in the near term due to damage to infrastructure in the Middle East.
Beyond fuel, residents raised broader cost-of-living concerns, including rising grocery, insurance and energy bills.
Housing affordability also emerged as a key issue, with residents saying home ownership was increasingly out of reach.
Delays in land release and planning approvals were identified as major barriers to increasing supply.
Transport challenges were also discussed, particularly congestion and limited public transport options, with many noting the region’s reliance on cars.
The forum highlighted ongoing uncertainty around fuel supply and costs, with residents calling for clearer answers and practical solutions as financial pressures continue to build across the hinterland.
sonia@gcnews.com.au
