Weekly Outlook
Australian Petrol Price
Market Pulse
Wednesday 24 June 2026 · Unleaded 91 and diesel · Based on oil markets, AUD/USD, and price cycle analysis
This week at a glance
Wholesale import costs eased 1.1% over the past week to an estimated 141.1c/L — the input that flows through to pump prices over the following one to two weeks.
Wholesale market signals
Brent Crude
US$76.28
per barrel
Singapore MOGAS tracks Brent with ~1 week lag
AUD/USD
0.6906
exchange rate
A lower AUD raises imported fuel costs
Import Parity
141.1
cents per litre
Estimated wholesale cost before excise and GST
What this means for pump prices
Brent crude eased 3.5% over the past week to US$76.28 per barrel, while the Australian dollar weakened 1.5% against the US dollar, lifting the local cost of imported fuel. These are the two inputs that, together with refining and shipping margins, determine the wholesale cost of fuel landed at Australian terminals.
The four-week outlook is leaning lower. Prices likely to ease over the next 4 weeks Crude oil has fallen 14% and the australian dollar has weakened — the cost of importing petrol is down 7%. That typically flows through to the pump within 3–4 weeks. Don't over-fill right now — cheaper prices are likely coming.
Historically, moves in import parity take about 10-14 days to show up at the bowser. With wholesale decreases this week, you can expect the pressure to filter through to pump prices over the next two weeks — earlier in metros that follow a tight price cycle, later in regional markets where retailers smooth changes out.
City-by-city cycle outlook
Where each capital sits in its local discounting cycle right now, and what our model is telling drivers to do this week.
Sydney
Falling — heading toward troughFill up nowThe Fuel excise relief wound back is expected to hit the pump within 7 days, pushing prices up by around 16c/L. Worth filling up before it lands.
Melbourne
Falling — heading toward troughFill up nowThe Fuel excise relief wound back is expected to hit the pump within 7 days, pushing prices up by around 16c/L. Worth filling up before it lands.
Brisbane
Falling — heading toward troughFill up nowThe Fuel excise relief wound back is expected to hit the pump within 7 days, pushing prices up by around 16c/L. Worth filling up before it lands.
Perth
Falling — heading toward troughFill up nowThe Fuel excise relief wound back is expected to hit the pump within 7 days, pushing prices up by around 16c/L. Worth filling up before it lands.
Adelaide
Falling — heading toward troughFill up nowThe Fuel excise relief wound back is expected to hit the pump within 7 days, pushing prices up by around 16c/L. Worth filling up before it lands.
Canberra
Falling — heading toward troughFill up nowThe Fuel excise relief wound back is expected to hit the pump within 7 days, pushing prices up by around 16c/L. Worth filling up before it lands.
Hobart
Falling — heading toward troughFill up nowThe Fuel excise relief wound back is expected to hit the pump within 7 days, pushing prices up by around 16c/L. Worth filling up before it lands.
Darwin
Falling — heading toward troughFill up nowThe Fuel excise relief wound back is expected to hit the pump within 7 days, pushing prices up by around 16c/L. Worth filling up before it lands.
Looking ahead
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin are on the falling leg, which is when local prices typically reach their lowest before the cycle resets.
Across our coverage, the cycle call leans toward fill-up now in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin — the model's read is that prices are at or near the local trough and likely to climb in coming days.
Layered over the local cycle, the macro signal is biased downward for the next four weeks based on the wholesale cost trajectory. That doesn't always change the day-to-day call, but it does shift where each city's cycle is likely to land relative to recent history.
Past updates
How this update is generated
Each day at 6:00am AEST, PetrolPulse fetches the latest Brent crude spot price and AUD/USD exchange rate. These are combined using the standard Singapore MOPS import parity formula to estimate the current wholesale cost of fuel delivered to Australian terminals.
Capital city averages are computed from live station-level data within a metro radius of each capital — not state-wide aggregates — so regional outliers don't skew the headline number. Comparisons against 7 and 30 days prior show whether each city is trending up or down, separate from the wholesale signal.
The city-by-city cycle outlook combines local cycle-position analysis with the forward-looking macro signals above. When import parity moves significantly relative to current retail prices and the recent margin, the directional call updates automatically.