Burk Fuel faces court action over alleged premium petrol mislabelling in Western Australia

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Burk Fuel premium mislabelling case

Highlights

WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection initiated Supreme Court proceedings against Burk Fuel over alleged mislabelling of premium petrol between July 2025 and February 2026.
Independent tests found all Burk Fuel samples were 91 octane, despite being sold as premium 95 and 98, raising potential breaches under Australian Consumer Law.
The regulator seeks significant financial penalties, while Burk Fuel denies allegations, continues normal operations, and refrains from further comment during legal proceedings.

Testing results and court claim

As reported by ABC News, the WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection has launched proceedings in the Supreme Court against Burk Fuel for alleged breaches of the Australian Consumer Law linked to the octane rating of petrol sold at its sites.

The Consumer Protection Agency said in a statement released on Monday that it had commissioned independent testing on samples taken from several Burk Fuel service stations between July 2025 and February 2026. According to the agency, all of those samples tested as 91 fuel, despite allegations that unleaded 91 had been sold as higher-octane 95 and 98 fuel.

Consumer Protection Commissioner Trish Blake said that, if proven, the alleged conduct would amount to a major breach of consumer trust because motorists cannot independently verify fuel quality at the pump. Burk Fuel, which operates 14 outlets across Perth and regional Western Australia, has previously denied the allegations and said it sources fuel from a supplier that serves many Perth service stations.

Consumer impact and company response

Higher-octane 95 and 98 fuels typically carry a higher price and are recommended or required for some high-performance vehicles, while unleaded 91 is generally regarded as the minimum standard for most petrol cars. Blake said the alleged mislabelling could therefore affect both value for money and vehicle performance for customers who believed they were buying premium fuel.

The regulator said it will seek significant financial penalties if the allegations are proven in court. Blake added that fuel sampled from other traders in Western Australia matched the way it was promoted to consumers, and said the investigation began after a consumer raised concerns about fuel quality with 102.5 ABC Perth.

Burk Fuel said it intends to defend the proceedings and that its operations continue as normal. The company added that it would not comment further while the matter is before the court.

Our earlier article on surging oil shipping costs explained how conflict-related risks and rerouted tanker traffic sharply increased freight and insurance rates, turning transport into a much larger share of the final oil price. We noted that these higher logistics costs can filter through to consumers via more expensive fuel at the pump and broader inflation in transported goods, while creating windfall earnings for tanker owners and uneven strain for import-dependent markets.

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