As ACAPMA covered earlier this week, there has been a rushed and ill conceived roll out of a fuel price cap scheme in the Northern Territory. This scheme went from thought bubble in the media last 8 days ago, to legislation 4 days ago and is to be in force tomorrow.
Retailers have been put on notice that, despite the ridiculous timeline for communication and implementation, full penalties for any issues or non compliance (for any reason) will apply from Monday.
ACAPMA urges all retailers to review the communication from the Commissioner of Consumer Affairs (below), in addition to the notice from the Attorney General from last week (here)
Dear Retailers
On Saturday 25 April at 6.00am 2026, the MyFuel NT web app will be live with a new 24-hour reporting function. I am writing to provide an overview of what you will be required to do, with further instructions to come from my office about how to enter your prices under the new scheme.
At this stage, it is expected that the updated web app will be made live for fuel outlets (not the public) on the morning of Friday 24 April 2026, so you have a chance to test the system, report issues to Northern Territory Consumer Affairs (NTCA), and enter your Saturday price. There is a possibility we may be able to make it available sooner, if this is the case we will let you know.
I will make staff available on Saturday and Sunday this weekend between 10.00am – 2pm Central Standard Time (CST), in case there are any issues when the web app goes live. You will need to contact NTCA on 0401 116 801.
The new 24 hour reporting
The new scheme requires fuel outlets to enter fuel prices for the next day in the My Fuel system between 8.30 am – 2pm CST. When you enter the price, it will not be visible to the public. You can change this price up or down until 2pm. After 2pm the system will lock. After this time, price updates will only be possible from 6.00am the next morning, and you will only be able to lower the price.
The price for the next day will show on the web app from 2.30pm. At 2.30pm the web app will show today’s price and tomorrow’s. Tomorrow’s price will be shown in brackets. The prices will change over at 6.00am the following day, whereupon only one price will show again. If no price is entered between 8.30am – 2pm, the price will remain the same for the next 24 hours.
Technically, it is a breach of the new regulations if a new price (even if unchanged) is not entered each day. However, I recognise the diversity of the fuel retail market in the Northern Territory and know that many fuel outlets do not change their prices daily. I will take no compliance action against fuel outlets who choose to not update their price daily, because their price has not changed.
What is unlawful
It remains unlawful to report a price through My Fuel NT that does not match the prices displayed on the price board and bowser. Under the new scheme, this will include where the 24 hour reported price does not match the price being retailed on site. My staff will continue to conduct onsite checks, which in the urban areas will be weekly to ensure compliance with the scheme. The public will continue to report price mismatches through the web app.
As of Monday 27 April, I will no longer issue show cause notices, I will issue infringement notices if satisfied that I have sufficient evidence of a breach. I trust that you will pass this information on to relevant staff to ensure their full compliance with the scheme.
It should also be noted that infringement notices penalties have also recently been increased significantly.
Reporting an incorrect price, not reporting any price for a fuel sold at the outlet, and failure to register the outlet in accordance with the scheme can now incur infringement notice penalties in the amount of $18,900 per offence for a body corporate, such as a company.
Incorrect price boards can now incur infringement notice penalties in the amount of $3,780.
Third Party Assistance
I am aware many outlets use third party entities to manage and enter prices in My Fuel NT. In readiness for going live on Saturday, they will need to update their current API settings. Attached to the email is a document that provides the current and the new settings. Please ensure, if necessary, that this is provided to your third-party entity as soon as possible so you will be ready for Saturday.
I appreciate that these changes have been made quickly. NTCA is working hard to make this transition as simple as we can to not disrupt your businesses. Please call us on (08) 8935 7737 if we can address any of your concerns. As indicated, step by step instructions on how to update tomorrow’s price will be provided before Friday, and we expect that many of the steps will look familiar.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of fuel outlets to comply with this scheme. It is appreciated and supports consumers in feeling confident about our fuel industry in a time of great uncertainty. I will seek to be reasonable with my compliance efforts in the next few weeks, acknowledging that everyone is adjusting to a new system.
Regards
Traci Keys
Commissioner of Consumer Affairs
22 April 2026
“The timeline for this fundamental change to the operation of businesses is completely unacceptable, particularly with commencement on a Saturday. It is extremely disappointing also to note the lack of consultation with the industry”, notes ACAPMAs CEO Rowan Lee.
ACAPMA encourages members to reach out with questions or comments as we navigate this unprecedented timeline for legislative change.
Elisha Radwanowski BCom(HRM&IR)
ACAPMA
