Panic buying and restricted fuel deliveries spark fuel rationing and reduced servo hours in Katanning

Fears that crucial services will have empty tanks due to panic buying and restricted fuel deliveries has prompted rationing and reduced operating hours in the Great Southern. Shire of Katanning president Kristy D’Aprile said local fuel stations had introduced fill-up limits and reduced operating hours based on company guidelines as the shire rations low-level supplies. The Herald understands that Shell Roadhouse Katanning had run completely dry of diesel on Monday and Tuesday. WA’s fuel woes endure as Iran halts oil tankers travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, threatening global supplies. From March 10, a local emergency management committee will meet every Tuesday with fuel companies, emergency and school services, and food truck deliveries, to regularly monitor fuel supplies for necessary services. Cr D’Aprile said the shire and fuel agents have agreed to prioritise emergency services and school buses if severely rationed. She said the self-service stations in town, including Ampol Katanning Diesel Stop and Great Southern Fuels BP, would now only operate when someone was available to man the usage. Katanning was one of several regional shires implementing fuel restrictions, with Wandering, Kulin, Brookton, Ongerup and Pingrup all making public pleas for responsible fuel usage and warning of dwindling supplies within the last month. Cr D’Aprile said Katanning’s fuel supply is “certainly at low levels” but urged people to stop panic buying and stockpiling. “The last couple of weeks we’ve been getting continual restricted supplies of fuel,” she said. “Certainly today (Monday) levels are very, very low, and I have heard one fuel station is awaiting on drops. “We urge people to act responsibly and thoughtfully in the way they’re accessing fuel to ensure there’s enough for everyone. “We want to ensure we report the facts to our community and that they know we can manage the situation.” Cr D’Aprile said their greatest concern was with the agricultural workers as seeding approaches for local farmers. She said the shire would need to ensure farmers had access to fuel throughout their seeding program. “They’re going to need drops midway through seeding, there’s a lot of anxiety within the ag sector at the moment,” she said. Cr D’Aprile said that her husband, who works in agriculture, did not have access to fuel twice in the week between March 16 and 22. Fuel prices reached 299.9¢ for diesel and 249.9¢ for petrol with EG Ampol Katanning asking for top dollar as of Tuesday morning. Cr D’Aprile said she was troubled by the consequences regarding climbing fuel prices. “I am gravely concerned about our community and the exponential increase of the cost of living and the impact that will have in the long term,” she said. “So we are very mindful of that as we go into our budget cycle this year. “We can’t underestimate the impact that the fuel costs are going to have on families and household budgets.”