The state government announced a plan this week to lock and cap fuel price rises in Victoria, which Melton residents hope will mean their suburb no longer has some of the highest fuel prices in the western suburbs.
Melton resident Jordan Mizzi has been compiling data on western suburbs’ fuel prices for a year and a half.
“A trend I’ve seen in the past year is that Melton service stations seem to move in sync with each other,” he said.
“They also hold their prices high for longer than everyone else.
“Melton fuel stations hold their prices steady at the top for two weeks out of a month long price cycle as opposed to a few days we see everyday.”
Mr Mizzi said that due to the high prices of petrol in Melton, some residents prefer to drive out of town to source cheaper fuel.
“One argument that we have is that it’s cheaper to drive out to Bacchus Marsh,” he said.
“It might cost $2 to get there, but you’re actually saving $20 on a full tank.
“People are actually driving out of Melton to fill up, but not everyone can afford that.”
In October 2024, Melton MP Steve McGhie’s office released a report into petrol prices in Melton.
The research found that Melton has the highest average petrol price per litre in the western suburbs, and that Melton has very little petrol price variation.
Mr McGhie alleges there has been fuel price gouging in Melton for years.
“I have raised it a number of times with the ACCC and Consumer Affairs,” he said.
“I had a parliamentary intern produce a report into fuel prices in Melton which showed by comparison we are paying the highest prices in metropolitan Melbourne.
“I have told our community to boycott Melton fuel stations until they lower their prices in line with other locations.”
One of the recommendations in the study was to legislate the implementation of a state-run petrol price tracking application, which has resulted in the government’s Fair Fuel Plan.
The Fair Fuel Plan will require mandatory fuel price reporting from more than 1,500 fuel retailers across the state. Fuel companies will be compelled to publicly report their price changes the day before they take effect and lock in those prices for 24 hours. At present fuel price reporting is voluntary.
The plan and a new fuel finder feature on the Services Victoria app will be phased in over 2025.
