Diesel pushes past $2.85 a litre nationally as Middle East conflict keeps squeezing bowsers
Why it matters: This is the Australian side of the diesel price story tracked since the US record high on 21 September: local diesel is now running well ahead of petrol, hitting freight, farming and trades operators hardest.
Diesel is now the most painful line item at the pump. NRMA figures put Sydney diesel at 286.1 cents a litre on 22 September, up 24.1 cents in a week, with regional NSW close behind. Carsales reported a national median of $2.88 a litre the same day, with Melbourne bowsers seen as high as $3.29. The trigger is the same one hitting US drivers: fighting around the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, which between them carry roughly a fifth of the world's oil and LNG trade. NRMA's Peter Khoury said a recent pullback in Brent crude, from $110 to $98 a barrel, could bring "a bit of relief at the bowser" if it holds, but reserves sit at just 31 days.
Source: ABC News · 23 September 2026