{"id":"qld:sl-2018-0185","name":"Fair Trading (Fuel Price Reporting) Regulation 2018","slug":"fair-trading-fuel-price-reporting-regulation-2018","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"qld","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"185 of 2018","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":174768,"registerId":"qld-qld:sl-2018-0185-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"pt.1","sectionType":"part","heading":"Preliminary","content":"# Preliminary","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"sec.1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Short title","content":"### sec.1 Short title\n\nThis regulation may be cited as the Fair Trading (Fuel Price Reporting) Regulation 2018 .","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"sec.2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement","content":"### sec.2 Commencement\n\nThis regulation commences at midday on 3 December 2018.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"sec.3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Definitions","content":"### sec.3 Definitions\n\nIn this regulation—\naggregation system see section 4 (1) .\nfuel means—\nfuel within the meaning of the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 (Cwlth) ; or\nhydrogen.\nregular unleaded petrol (RON 91), E10 (RON 94), premium unleaded petrol labelled ‘RON 95’, premium unleaded petrol labelled ‘RON 98’, E85 (RON 105), diesel, fuel labelled ‘premium diesel’, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas or natural gas for vehicles (CNG or NGV), liquefied natural gas (LNG), B20 (biodiesel and diesel)\nfuel price information means the information mentioned in section 6 (1) or 7 (2) .\nnormal fuel price , for a type of fuel, means the price at which fuel of that type is offered for retail sale without any discount being applied in any way.\nresponsible fuel retailer means a person who decides the normal fuel price for a type of fuel offered for retail sale at a service station.\nservice station means a place where fuel is offered for retail sale to members of the public, other than a place where the primary business being conducted is the hiring, leasing or selling of motor vehicles.\n- (a) fuel within the meaning of the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 (Cwlth) ; or\n- (b) hydrogen.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"pt.2","sectionType":"part","heading":"Fuel price reporting","content":"# Fuel price reporting","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"pt.2-div.1","sectionType":"division","heading":"Administration","content":"## Administration","sortOrder":5},{"sectionNumber":"sec.4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Aggregation system","content":"### sec.4 Aggregation system\n\nThe commissioner may ask the energy chief executive to establish and maintain an electronic system (the aggregation system ) for the purposes of receiving fuel price information under this part and publishing the information to the public.\nThe energy chief executive must ensure that information about how to access and use the aggregation system is published on the website of the department in which the Liquid Fuel Supply Act 1984 is administered.\nIn this section—\nenergy chief executive means the chief executive of the department in which the Liquid Fuel Supply Act 1984 is administered.\n(sec.4-ssec.1) The commissioner may ask the energy chief executive to establish and maintain an electronic system (the aggregation system ) for the purposes of receiving fuel price information under this part and publishing the information to the public.\n(sec.4-ssec.2) The energy chief executive must ensure that information about how to access and use the aggregation system is published on the website of the department in which the Liquid Fuel Supply Act 1984 is administered.\n(sec.4-ssec.3) In this section— energy chief executive means the chief executive of the department in which the Liquid Fuel Supply Act 1984 is administered.","sortOrder":6},{"sectionNumber":"pt.2-div.2","sectionType":"division","heading":"Reporting","content":"## Reporting","sortOrder":7},{"sectionNumber":"sec.5","sectionType":"section","heading":"Application of division","content":"### sec.5 Application of division\n\nThis division applies to a responsible fuel retailer for a type of fuel offered for retail sale at a service station.","sortOrder":8},{"sectionNumber":"sec.6","sectionType":"section","heading":"Reporting information using aggregation system","content":"### sec.6 Reporting information using aggregation system\n\nThe responsible fuel retailer must ensure the following information is entered into the aggregation system within the period mentioned in subsection (2) —\nthe normal fuel price for the type of fuel;\nthe brand of the type of fuel, if applicable;\nthe trading name by which the service station is known, if applicable;\nthe service station’s address and telephone number.\nMaximum penalty—20 penalty units.\nThe period for subsection (1) is 30 minutes after a change is made to the normal fuel price on any fuel pump display for the fuel at the service station.\nIn this section—\nfuel pump display means the display of the normal fuel price for a type of fuel appearing on a metered fuel pump at a service station.\n(sec.6-ssec.1) The responsible fuel retailer must ensure the following information is entered into the aggregation system within the period mentioned in subsection (2) — the normal fuel price for the type of fuel; the brand of the type of fuel, if applicable; the trading name by which the service station is known, if applicable; the service station’s address and telephone number. Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.\n(sec.6-ssec.2) The period for subsection (1) is 30 minutes after a change is made to the normal fuel price on any fuel pump display for the fuel at the service station.\n(sec.6-ssec.3) In this section— fuel pump display means the display of the normal fuel price for a type of fuel appearing on a metered fuel pump at a service station.\n- (a) the normal fuel price for the type of fuel;\n- (b) the brand of the type of fuel, if applicable;\n- (c) the trading name by which the service station is known, if applicable;\n- (d) the service station’s address and telephone number.","sortOrder":9},{"sectionNumber":"sec.7","sectionType":"section","heading":"Reporting for fuel temporarily unavailable","content":"### sec.7 Reporting for fuel temporarily unavailable\n\nThis section applies if, after the fuel price information mentioned in section 6 (1) for the type of fuel has been entered into the aggregation system, the fuel is temporarily unable to be offered for retail sale at the service station (the temporary event ).\nThe responsible fuel retailer must ensure that information stating the temporary event has happened is entered into the aggregation system within 30 minutes after the event happens.\nMaximum penalty—20 penalty units.\n(sec.7-ssec.1) This section applies if, after the fuel price information mentioned in section 6 (1) for the type of fuel has been entered into the aggregation system, the fuel is temporarily unable to be offered for retail sale at the service station (the temporary event ).\n(sec.7-ssec.2) The responsible fuel retailer must ensure that information stating the temporary event has happened is entered into the aggregation system within 30 minutes after the event happens. Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.","sortOrder":10},{"sectionNumber":"sec.8","sectionType":"section","heading":"Defences for failing to comply","content":"### sec.8 Defences for failing to comply\n\nIn a proceeding for an offence against section 6 or 7 , it is a defence for the responsible fuel retailer to prove—\nan emergency happened that prevented the retailer from complying with the section; or\nthe aggregation system could not be accessed or used to comply with the section because of a circumstance, the happening of which was beyond the retailer’s control.\n- (a) an emergency happened that prevented the retailer from complying with the section; or\n- (b) the aggregation system could not be accessed or used to comply with the section because of a circumstance, the happening of which was beyond the retailer’s control.","sortOrder":11}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulation prescribes reporting obligations for responsible fuel retailers of specified fuel types and delegates creation of an electronic aggregation system to the energy chief executive. The text contains no indication of a change from an earlier or different scope; no amendments or prior scope are referenced in the instrument itself."},"complexity_factors":["Time‑critical operational duty: 30‑minute reporting windows for price changes and temporary unavailability create continuous operational monitoring and fast data entry requirements (s.6(2), s.7(2)).","Regulated population and who pays: obligations fall on the \"responsible fuel retailer\", concentrating compliance costs on retail operators at service stations (s.5, definition of responsible fuel retailer).","Multiple data fields: retailers must submit price plus brand, trading name, address and telephone number—administrative burden across fuel types (s.6(1)).","Penalty exposure: fixed maximum penalty of 20 penalty units raises legal/compliance risk for breaches (s.6(1), s.7(2)).","Defences and legal nuance: available defences for emergencies or aggregation system inaccessibility introduce fact‑based litigation elements (s.8).","Inter‑agency implementation dependency: system establishment and publishing responsibilities lie with the energy chief executive at the commissioner’s request, creating implementation and governance discretion (s.4).","Cross‑references to other laws: 'fuel' and administrative roles reference external Acts, requiring readers to consult other legislation for full scope (definitions and s.4)."],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation requires responsible fuel retailers to enter the normal retail price for each fuel type and basic station details into a public electronic aggregation system within 30 minutes of any price change, and to report temporary unavailability within 30 minutes; failure risks a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units (ss.6–7). The commissioner may ask the energy chief executive to establish and publish the aggregation system, and limited defences exist for emergencies or system outages (ss.4,8)."},"summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulation stays tightly focused on its stated purpose: requiring real-time fuel price reporting by retailers to a public aggregation system. There is no evidence of scope creep — it does not regulate pricing itself, consumer contracts, or broader fair trading conduct beyond price transparency reporting."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-references to Commonwealth legislation (Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000) require readers to consult an external Act to fully understand the definition of 'fuel'","Relies on an external administrative system (the aggregation system) whose setup is discretionary and governed by a separate department","The definition of 'responsible fuel retailer' (the person who decides the price, not necessarily the station owner) may create ambiguity in franchising or multi-party arrangements","Penalty unit values are set externally and change over time, so the actual dollar penalty is not immediately apparent from the regulation itself"],"plain_english_summary":"Queensland requires fuel retailers (petrol station operators) to report pump prices and availability to a government aggregation system in near real-time — updates must be made within 30 minutes when prices or availability change. Reported details include price, fuel type/brand and station contact info. Non‑compliance can attract fines up to about 20 penalty units (~$3k–$3.5k); defences exist for emergencies or system outages. The aim is live, comparable fuel pricing for consumers."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulation maintains its original narrow scope of requiring real-time fuel price reporting. It has not expanded beyond this core consumer protection purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Short regulation with only 8 substantive sections","Minimal cross-referencing (only references to Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 and Liquid Fuel Supply Act 1984 for definitions)","Simple conditional structure with basic defences in section 8","Straightforward reporting obligations with clear 30-minute timeframes","Limited defined terms (approximately 6 key definitions in section 3)","No nested exceptions or complex procedural requirements"],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation requires petrol stations in Queensland to report their fuel prices to a government-run website within 30 minutes of changing them.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Petrol station owners/operators** (called \"responsible fuel retailers\") who set the prices for fuel sold to the public\n- **Consumers** who can check real-time fuel prices online\n\n**What it does:**\n- Creates an **aggregation system** (a central online database) where fuel prices are collected and published for public viewing\n- Requires petrol stations to report:\n  - The **normal fuel price** (the price before any discounts are applied)\n  - The fuel brand\n  - The station's trading name\n  - The station's address and phone number\n- Sets a **30-minute deadline** for reporting price changes after they appear on the pump display\n- Requires stations to report if fuel becomes temporarily unavailable\n- Includes **defences** for stations that can't comply due to emergencies or system failures beyond their control\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis gives drivers access to up-to-date fuel prices so they can shop around for cheaper fuel. It promotes competition among petrol stations and helps consumers save money by making price information transparent and easily accessible.\n\n**Penalties:**\nFailing to report prices on time can result in a fine of up to 20 penalty units (a monetary penalty set by law)."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-price-reporting-regulation-2018","history":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-price-reporting-regulation-2018/history","analysis":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-price-reporting-regulation-2018/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-price-reporting-regulation-2018/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-price-reporting-regulation-2018/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/fair-trading-fuel-price-reporting-regulation-2018/documents"}}