{"id":"fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013","name":"Fair Trading (Fuel Industry Code) Regulations 2013","slug":"fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":235475,"registerId":"sa-fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Fair Trading (Fuel Industry Code) Regulations 2013","content":"South Australia\nFair Trading (Fuel Industry Code) Regulations 2013\nunder the Fair Trading Act 1987\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tCommencement\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tPrescription of code\n5\tContravention of code subject to civil penalty\nSchedule 1—Fuel Industry Code\n1\tCitation\n2\tInterpretation\n3\tPrice board not to display discounted fuel price\n4\tDisplay of prices on price board and fuel pump display\nLegislative history\n\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Fair Trading (Fuel Industry Code) Regulations 2013.\n2—Commencement\nThese regulations will come into operation on 1 October 2013.\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations—\nAct means the Fair Trading Act 1987;\ncivil penalty contravention has the same meaning as in Part 7 Division 3A of the Act;\ncode means the Fuel Industry Code 2013 set out in Schedule 1.\n4—Prescription of code\n\t(1)\tThe code is prescribed as an industry code for the purposes of Part 3A of the Act.\n\t(2)\tThe Commissioner for Consumer Affairs is responsible for the administration of the code.\n5—Contravention of code subject to civil penalty\n\t(1)\tA contravention of section 28E of the Act constituted of a contravention of the code is to be subject to a civil penalty under Part 7 Division 3A of the Act.\n\t(2)\tThe expiation fee for an alleged civil penalty contravention involving an alleged contravention or attempted contravention of the code is $6 000 in the case of a body corporate and $1 200 in the case of a natural person.\nSchedule 1—Fuel Industry Code\n1—Citation\nThis code may be cited as the Fuel Industry Code 2013.\n2—Interpretation\nIn this code—\nbiodiesel means a diesel fuel obtained by esterification of oil derived from plants or animals;\ndiscounted fuel price, in relation to a type of fuel, means the price per litre at which fuel of that type is available to consumers after any discount (whether by a voucher, discount rate, reward scheme or any other means) is applied;\nfuel means any of the following:\n\t(a)\ta petroleum product within the meaning of the Petroleum Products Regulation Act 1995;\n\t(b)\tbiodiesel;\n\t(c)\tcompressed gas;\n\t(d)\tliquefied natural gas;\nfuel pump display means the numerical display of the normal fuel price appearing on a metered fuel pump at a petrol station;\nfuel retailer means a person or body who carries on the business of supplying fuel for retail sale;\nnormal fuel price, in relation to a type of fuel, means the price per litre at which fuel of that type is available to consumers without any discount (whether by a voucher, discount rate, reward scheme or any other means) applying;\npetrol station means a building, place or premises where fuel is supplied for retail sale, but does not include a building, place or premises where the primary business is the hiring, leasing or sale of motor vehicles;\nprice board means a board, sign or notice at a petrol station that displays information regarding the price of types of fuel for retail sale at the petrol station.\n3—Price board not to display discounted fuel price\nA fuel retailer must not display a discounted fuel price on any price board.\n4—Display of prices on price board and fuel pump display\n\t(1)\tIf a fuel retailer increases the normal fuel price for a type of fuel, the retailer must change the price displayed on any price board to reflect the increase in price before, or at the same time as, changing the price displayed on any fuel pump display for that type of fuel.\n\t(2)\tIf a fuel retailer decreases the normal fuel price for a type of fuel, the retailer must change the price displayed on any price board to reflect the decrease in price after, or at the same time as, changing the price displayed on any fuel pump display for that type of fuel.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal regulations\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2013\n186\nGazette 18.7.2013 p3096 \n1.10.2013: r 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations do not alter the Fair Trading Act’s fundamental reach. They prescribe an industry code under the Act, set specific conduct rules for fuel retailers (display and timing of price information), designate the Commissioner as administrator, and make code breaches subject to the Act’s existing civil penalty framework with specified expiation fees."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference to the Fair Trading Act Part 3A and the civil penalty regime (regs 4(1), 5(1))","Definitions that determine coverage and compliance obligations (Schedule 1 cl 2: discounted fuel price, normal fuel price, price board, fuel pump display)","Timing and sequencing requirement for updating displays creates operational compliance risk (Schedule 1 cl 4(1)-(2))","Different financial exposure for entities vs natural persons via expiation fees (reg 5(2): $6,000 corporate, $1,200 individual)","Enforcement and administrative discretion vested in the Commissioner for Consumer Affairs (reg 4(2))","Potential ambiguity in practical application (e.g. what counts as a ‘price board’, timing of ‘at the same time’) increasing compliance and enforcement interpretation needs"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations prescribe a Fuel Industry Code under the Fair Trading Act and make breaches civil-penalty contraventions with fixed expiation fees. They prohibit fuel retailers from displaying discounted fuel prices on price boards and require price boards to be updated in a specified sequence relative to pump displays when normal prices change. The Commissioner for Consumer Affairs is responsible for administering the code."},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not accessible. The page returned was a website error message from the South Australian legislation website, not the regulations themselves."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative text was retrievable — the source URL returned a 404 Page Not Found error","Analysis is impossible without the actual provisions of the instrument","Complexity score of 1 reflects the absence of content to analyse, not the simplicity of the underlying law"],"plain_english_summary":"The Fair Trading (Fuel Industry Code) Regulations 2013 set rules under South Australia’s fair trading framework to protect petrol station operators from unfair conduct by large fuel suppliers, regulate pricing and contract terms, and provide dispute-resolution rights for small business fuel retailers and wholesalers.\n\nImportant: the actual legislative text was not retrievable (404). For the authoritative version, search legislation.sa.gov.au directly."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains its original narrow scope. It was designed specifically to regulate fuel price display practices in South Australia, and the 2013 version (as presented) contains only the core price display rules without significant expansion into broader fuel industry regulation."},"complexity_factors":["Very short: only 5 main regulation sections plus a 4-section Schedule","Minimal defined terms: only 8 defined terms across the entire instrument","Simple, direct prohibitions and requirements with no nested conditions or exceptions","No cross-references to other legislation beyond basic enabling Act references","Clear linear structure: interpretation → prescription → penalty → substantive rules","No delegated powers, review mechanisms, or transitional provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a South Australian law that regulates how petrol stations display their fuel prices to stop them from misleading drivers.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Bans 'discounted' prices on roadside signs:** Petrol stations cannot advertise a lower price on their main price boards if that price is only available through vouchers, loyalty cards, or other discounts. They must show the full, undiscounted price that any customer would actually pay at the pump.\n- **Controls when prices change:** If petrol prices go up, the sign must show the higher price *before or at the same time* as the pump price changes. If prices go down, the sign can only show the lower price *after or at the same time* as the pump price changes. This stops stations from advertising cheap prices while charging more at the bowser.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Fuel retailers** (petrol station owners and operators) in South Australia\n- **Consumers** buying fuel at these stations\n\n**Why it matters:**\nBefore this law, drivers could be lured into a petrol station by a cheap price on the big sign, only to discover at the pump that the real price was higher unless they had a special voucher or loyalty card. This law ensures the price on the sign matches what you'll actually pay, making it easier to compare prices between stations and avoid nasty surprises."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013","history":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013/history","analysis":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-industry-code-regulations-2013/documents"}}