Hepburn Shire Council is joining a number of other rural and regional Victorian councils in calling for both State and Federal governments to work together to ensure communities have access to fuel.
Mayor, Tony Clark said the Shire relies on consistent, dependable fuel sources to be able to contribute to broader industries and economies, like tourism and Australia’s food supply chain.
“Our communities are worried, and we need strong commitments from state and federal governments now,” said the Mayor.
“We also want Victoria to know that the Hepburn Shire is still open for business and we encourage visitors to eat, drink, stay and play at any and all of our thriving local businesses.”
Internally, Council is planning and preparing for potential short and long-term fuel impacts on its own services and operations, including capital project delivery.
“While Council continues to carry out it’s day-to-day operations as normal, it is paying close attention to budgeting and project delivery timelines,” said Mayor Clark.
“Council has already received cost variations for existing projects and is noticing pricing uncertainty with current works tenders, but we are working with suppliers to limit impacts.”
He said Council was receiving diesel deliveries as normal with commitments to the end of April and is monitoring the situation daily.
The Australian Government launched its $20 million National Fuel Security Campaign today to raise awareness of the National Fuel Security Plan and to help Australian’s feel prepared and supported to take actions during Level 2 of the Plan.
As part of the campaign, drivers are being encouraged to adopt simple, practical behaviours to use less fuel.
Read more about the campaign.
