Farmers in NSW Face Fuel Crisis Amid Drought

0:00In Sydney, it's March 20th. Here's what is happening. Farmers in western New South Wales are facing a tough fuel shortage on top of ongoing drought conditions. Diesel prices have climbed near $3 a liter, leaving many tanks empty and halting operations on drought-hit properties. Without fuel, they can't truck in feed or water for livestock, putting animal welfare at risk. Take Scott Worthington near Condoblin, for example. His dams are dry, pastures are gone, and a pre-ordered 40,000 liters of diesel still hasn't shown up weeks later. He's scraping by with small loads from a town 60 kilometers away, burning thousands of liters weekly, just to care for 3,000 sheep and six, hundred cattle. Meanwhile, over in Trundle, farmer Andrew Kerr dealt with two weeks of delays before sowing season, and even his school bus ran dry, stranding kids. For two days, he says rural folks have no backups like city public transport, and these shortages will push food prices higher at supermarkets.

1:00The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is now probing possible anti-competitive practices by big fuel suppliers after reports of uneven. Distribution to regional areas. Suppliers blame a huge demand spike in early March, with backlogs stretching delivery times to weeks. State leaders are calling for fairer support to regions, stressing fuels role in farming, schools, and health. Officials urged buying only what's needed to avoid worsening the crunch for neighbors still waiting.