A small North Queensland town has become one of the first areas outside of remote Australia to hit the $3-a-litre mark for diesel.   

The NightOwl Shell service station on Queen Street, Ayr, raised prices on Monday – and also ran out of standard E10 – sparking fury from local residents. 

It comes as Assistant Trade Minister Matt Thistlethwaite refused to rule out petrol prices soaring past $4-a-litre as the conflict between US, Israel and Iran enters its fourth week. 

An Ayr resident told the Daily Mail she blamed the Albanese government for the situation.

‘Three dollars a litre for diesel. I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen anything like it,’ she said.

‘Every dollar on the diesel price goes straight onto the cost of getting food to the table for people in the cities – but they’re the ones voting for the government that got us here. 

‘We’re not just paying for our own fuel. We’re paying for their greeny bulls***.’

She argued that regional communities were being left behind and would suffer the most.

‘Everything comes by truck up here. Groceries, medicines. Everyone in town pays for it.

‘And the economy up here relies on diesel. What about the tradies and people out at the mines who drive in and drive out… how is this sustainable?’ 

Fuel costs have climbed sharply since coordinated US‑Israeli strikes on Iran triggered the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint through which 20 per cent of global oil supply flows.

Diesel prices in parts of Sydney and Melbourne are already nearing $3 a litre, while unleaded 91 is averaging about $2.45.

Assistant Minister Thistlethwaite, when asked whether Australians could soon pay $4 a litre, said he could not offer certainty.

‘I can’t speculate on what’s going to happen with prices, but obviously, the longer the conflict goes on, the more potential it has to restrict supplies and push up prices,’ he told Sky News. 

‘This conflict is having an effect, and the longer that it goes on, the more destabilising it could be.

‘That’s why the Prime Minister and our government has been calling on the Trump administration and the Netanyahu administration to try and negotiate a ceasefire.’

Thistlethwaite said the government was working to protect Australia’s fuel security.

‘The Prime Minister is negotiating with our Asian neighbours and counterparts to try and maximise the amount of fuel that is available in Australia,’ he said.

‘But at the moment, people should take what they need and no more, and we’ll continue to work through this situation.’

The $4-a-litre price threat comes as International Energy Agency executive director Dr Fatih Birol revealed the world is losing more barrels of oil each day than during the two 1970s oil crises combined.

He described the ongoing situation in the Middle East as ‘very serious’, and worse than two oil crises in 1973 and 1979.

‘At that time, in each of the crises, the world has lost about five million barrels per day, both of them together, 10 million barrels per day,’ Dr Birol told the National Press Club in Canberra on Monday.

‘And after that we all know that there was major economic problems around the world, and today, we lost 11 million barrels per day. So more than two major oil shocks put together.’

Gas markets have also been heavily impacted during the ongoing Iranian conflict – almost double that during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

‘So the situation is if we want to put in a context, this crisis, as it stands now, two oil crisis and one gas crash put all together,’ Dr Birol said.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen at the weekend admitted it would be ‘sensible’ for Australians to work from home more often during the fuel crisis. 

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has expressed concern that the Albanese government did not act urgently enough in response to the fuel supply crisis. 

State Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetski also wrote to the federal government as early as March 10, calling for stronger guarantees to protect fuel supplies in regional areas.