The Hon. Lachlan Hunter, Nationals Member for Central Wheatbelt, Media Release, 17 April 2026
Nationals Member for Central Wheatbelt, Lachlan Hunter MP, has slammed the Cook Labor Government for its lack of understanding of regional Western Australia, as the fuel crisis continues to bite across the Wheatbelt.
Mr Hunter said it was “pathetic” that the Labor Government is only now scrambling to adjust FuelWatch settings in response to the crisis, instead of ensuring the system actually reflects conditions on the ground in regional communities.
“My electorate covers an area the size of South Korea, yet only around a dozen fuel stations appear on FuelWatch,” Mr Hunter said.
“Many small regional towns, particularly those off the Great Eastern Highway freight route, are not even captured on the Government-backed website.”
Mr Hunter said the gaps in FuelWatch data highlight a fundamental failure by the Cook Labor Government to understand how regional WA operates.
“This just shows how out of touch this Labor Government is with regional Western Australia,” he said.
“How can the Government claim there is no fuel shortage in regional towns when those communities are not even represented in the data?”
Mr Hunter said there is also a concerning lack of transparency around fuel supply information.
“The Government is clearly receiving information from fuel companies, but they are not sharing it with the public,” he said.
“So how is a farmer, a truck driver or a family in regional WA supposed to make informed decisions about fuel availability?”
Mr Hunter said the crisis has been building since global tensions escalated in late February, yet the State Government has been slow to respond.
“This situation did not appear overnight. The conflict has been ongoing since 28 February,” he said.
“The question is simple: when is the Government going to act, and when will they provide the transparency that Western Australians deserve?”
Mr Hunter reiterated his call for real-time, accurate fuel availability data across regional WA, and for the Government to prioritise supply for primary producers, freight and essential services.
“Regional Western Australia keeps this State running. It is time the Government started acting like it.”
