Premier Ben Carroll has admitted forgetting to pay for petrol after filling up his car on Monday night, prompting Victoria Police to contact the Department of Parliamentary Services before the bill was settled.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Mr Carroll said he had been running errands late on Monday night when he stopped to refuel. “Found out yesterday I forgot to pay,” he said. “I fixed the bill straight away. Grateful for the team at the servo for their understanding.”
It is understood police contacted DPS about the bill on Tuesday night, with the department subsequently notifying the Premier.
Mr Carroll was using his own car, not one driven by a government chauffeur, when he was filling up. He said later on Wednesday that the incident showed “politicians are human beings and even premiers make mistakes”.
“Monday was a tough day for a lot of reasons. I got home, I had a busy night on the phone. My wife and I had a discussion who was going to return (daughter) Maddie’s friend’s pencil case. I said I’ll do it, and I’ll get petrol,” he told The Age’s Melbourne Assembly event. “I found out the following day I didn’t pay for the petrol. That has since been rectified.
“But I have been contacted by the former deputy premier John Thwaites, who’s told me ‘Don’t worry Ben, I didn’t pay for the petrol and I also drove off with the nozzle in the car’ … That made me feel a lot better.”
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said a petrol drive-off was a “civil matter until its proven otherwise”. “A lot of people do do that, but if it turns out that it’s a criminal matter, there was intent, … charges will follow,” he said. “But everyone’s got the opportunity to address an error.”
Mr Bush said that in the Premier’s case, he understood the bill was paid.
“When someone does something accidentally, non-deliberately, it becomes a … civil matter and civil redress is available,” he said.
Mr Bush said petrol drive-offs were common and police were careful not to criminalise everyone who did it.
“We do understand, and I’m very empathetic and sympathetic to petrol station owners who do suffer, but it’s not always criminal,” he said.
During a parliamentary debate on March 31, 2026, Mr Carroll’s predecessor, Jacinta Allan, noted there had been an increase in fuel theft and drive-offs at service stations across rural and regional communities.
“We are also seeing a rise in the incidence of drive-offs at service stations. It is an illegal practice. It needs to be prosecuted,” Ms Allan said during question time.
Extracted in full from: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/premier-ben-carroll-admits-forgetting-to-pay-for-fuel/news-story/fba9a9418b9a206308a6e8dd129ad48a
