Thursday morning and the fuel spike keeps running: diesel has cracked 2 dollars 20 a litre in Melbourne, Canberra, Darwin and Hobart, and unleaded 91 is above 1 dollar 87 in the ACT and 1 dollar 84 in Perth, with prices up roughly 40 cents a litre in the three weeks since the 1 July excise cut reduction started to unwind and Brent crude climbed from around 70 US dollars to nearly 92. A typical two car household is now paying between 30 and 50 dollars more per fill up than in mid June. Overnight Origin Energy told the ASX it is investigating a data security incident affecting up to 4 point 7 million customers, with names, addresses, emails, dates of birth and bill history in the leaked sample. Coles told the Federal Court yesterday that the ACCC theory of harm behind its Kalgoorlie block is novel and untested. Today’s Top 5 opens with Mossman at up to 70 per cent off.
Diesel Above 2.20 As Fuel Costs Race Higher
Australian pump prices continued their run higher on Wednesday, with diesel now above 2 dollars 20 a litre in four capitals: Melbourne at about 221 cents, Canberra 220 point 2, Darwin 217 point 7 and Hobart 217 point 5, and just below that in Brisbane at 216 point 7 and Sydney at 214 point 9, per figures reported in The Guardian Australia news live blog on Tuesday 22 July 2026. Unleaded 91 has also spiked to 187 point 1 cents in the ACT (its highest reading in two months), followed by Perth at 184 point 9, Darwin at 183 point 2 and Melbourne at 181 point 7. Prices are up roughly 40 cents a litre across three weeks, driven by the reduction of the temporary fuel excise cut on 1 July, worth 16 cents on the pump price, combined with Brent crude climbing from about 70 US dollars a barrel on 2 July to 91 dollars 90 by 22 July.
For a household with two cars filling up weekly, that shift adds between 30 and 50 dollars per fill up compared with the middle of June, and closer to 60 dollars for a diesel dual cab used for work. The rest of the excise cut is scheduled to unwind fully at 11:59pm on Sunday 2 August, adding another 10 to 12 cents a litre from Monday 3 August. Combined with the current mid-crude spike, pump prices for the first fortnight of August could reasonably be modelled at 2 dollars 32 to 2 dollars 35 for diesel in the eastern capitals and roughly 1 dollar 95 to 2 dollars flat for unleaded 91.
Practical shopper read: the household defence against the current fuel run is boring and effective. Use MotorMouth and PetrolSpy to find the current lowest price within a 5 kilometre radius before you leave the driveway. The 7-Eleven Fuel Lock app still holds a price for seven days, valuable if you can see the next city cycle turn up. Costco Fuel is 8 to 12 cents cheaper than the equivalent supermarket-branded servo where you are a member, and worth the detour if you are within roughly 10 kilometres. Ute and van drivers should check whether the local independent diesel fleet card providers (BP Fuelcard, Ampol AmpolCard, Shell Card) run business rates that beat the retail pump, and if you commute the same route weekly, shop the low point of the Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne price cycles which are currently in the recovery phase and running Wednesday to Friday lows.
Origin Energy Investigates Data Breach Of Up To 4.7 Million Customers
Origin Energy, the ASX-listed electricity and gas retailer with 26 point 3 per cent of the residential electricity market as of March, confirmed to the Australian Securities Exchange on Tuesday 22 July that it is investigating a data security incident which may affect up to 4 point 7 million residential and small business customers, per an international wire report by Xinhua on China.org, published 22 July 2026. A sample of 50 customer records released by the threat actor showed full names, residential and postal addresses, email addresses, dates of birth and past billing history. Origin says the sample does not contain credit card or bank account data, and there is no evidence of large-scale payment credential exposure. Origin shares closed down 2 point 6 per cent on Wednesday. Chief executive Frank Calabria said the company is working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and law enforcement, and will contact affected customers directly.
Practical shopper read: if you are or have been an Origin Energy customer at any point, treat every Origin-branded email, SMS and phone call with suspicion for the next three to six months. Freeze your credit file at both Equifax and Illion (both are free), turn on multi factor authentication for MyGov, your primary email and every banking app, and if you use the same date of birth or address as security questions with any retailer or loyalty program, change them. Never click a login link inside an Origin email, always type origin.com.au directly into the browser. The Australian Consumer Law and the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme give you the right to be told, in writing, whether your specific record was in the exposed set once Origin completes its forensic review.
Coles Says ACCC Theory Of Harm Is Novel
Coles Group returned to the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne on Wednesday 22 July, arguing that the ACCC decision to block its second Kalgoorlie supermarket and Liquorland outlet rests on a novel theory of harm untested under Australian competition law, per legal industry coverage from Cat Fredenburgh at Lawyerly, 22 July 2026. Coles is running two parallel proceedings: a Federal Court judicial review that tests the legal reasoning behind the ACCC ruling, and a Competition Tribunal merits review that reconsiders the underlying commercial evidence. Senior counsel for Coles told the court that the ACCC position (that a second Coles in a town of 30,000 would eventually push the existing IGA independent operator out of the market) has no direct precedent in Australian merger law and asks the court to give the ACCC unprecedented latitude in blocking greenfield store development.
The Kalgoorlie site at Lots 95 to 106 Great Eastern Highway in Somerville is the first supermarket application the ACCC has outright rejected under the new merger regime that took effect on 1 January 2026, which requires supermarkets to notify the ACCC of any land acquisition over the notification thresholds. The outcome of these parallel proceedings will decide whether the ACCC can keep using its new powers to stop the two largest supermarket chains from adding stores in regional towns where independents still hold ground, or whether the Tribunal and Federal Court will collapse that authority back toward the pre-2026 baseline.
Practical shopper read: no grocery price in Kalgoorlie, Perth, or anywhere else moved because of yesterday’s hearing. The existing Coles, Woolworths and IGA stores continue to trade as normal. But the direction of the ruling matters for every regional Australian town: the wider the mix of operators, the sharper the promotional pricing, and a decision that limits ACCC power would open the door to more single-chain regional dominance over the next 24 months.
Thursday’s Top 5 Deals
Discount
MossmanWomen's WearUp to 70 per cent off Mossman: dresses, blouses, tailored trousers, knits, coats and separates from the Australian-owned Melbourne-designed womenswear label with concept stores nationwide, with Afterpay, Zip and Australia-wide shipping.70%OFF2
Hallensteins BrothersMen's WearUp to 50 per cent off Hallensteins Brothers: shirts, chinos, jeans, tees, jackets, knitwear and accessories from the trans Tasman menswear brand with dedicated Australian fulfilment, with Afterpay, Zip and free shipping over $80.50%OFF3
Healthy LifeHealth ProductsUp to 50 per cent off Healthy Life: vitamins, supplements, protein powders, natural skincare and pantry essentials from the Australian-owned online health destination with 3,000-plus lines, backed by qualified nutritionists and free shipping over $50.50%OFF4
HouseHomewaresUp to 50 per cent off House: cookware, bakeware, knives, small appliances, kitchen tools, glassware and dinnerware from the Australian-owned specialty homewares chain founded in 1988 with over 150 stores nationwide, with Afterpay, Zip and click and collect.50%OFF5
MacpacOutdoor & CampingUp to 50 per cent off Macpac: down jackets, thermals, waterproof shells, packs, tents, sleeping bags and hiking accessories from the trans Tasman outdoor specialist with dedicated Australian stores, with Afterpay, Zip and free shipping over $99.50%OFFEvery store in Thursday’s Top 5 is Australian-owned or locally fulfilled. Every discount was checked against the store’s current sale page before publication. None of it is Temu, Shein, AliExpress, Wish or any offshore marketplace dressed up as a local brand. Every product ships from an Australian warehouse and is backed by the Australian Consumer Law.
Other Deals Worth A Look
Beyond the Top 5, a handful of other Australian-owned or locally fulfilled retailers are worth a Thursday scroll ahead of the fuel excise unwind and next Wednesday’s CPI print. Merchant 1948 (today’s Top 6 ticker pick) has up to 50 per cent off leather boots, dress shoes, casual sneakers and womens footwear from the trans Tasman family footwear brand with dedicated Australian stores, with Afterpay, Zip and free shipping over $50. Sportsgirl keeps up to 70 per cent off dresses, denim, tops, blazers and accessories from the Australian-owned Melbourne-founded youth fashion label with over 100 stores, with Afterpay, Zip and free shipping over $60. Cotton On holds 50 per cent off basics, denim, activewear and homewares from the Australian-owned Geelong-founded group of brands, with Afterpay and Australia-wide shipping. Glassons Australia continues 50 per cent off dresses, knits, tailoring and accessories from the trans Tasman fashion brand with dedicated Australian fulfilment, with free shipping over $80. OPSM has up to 50 per cent off frames when purchased with prescription lenses across the Luxottica-owned Australian optical retailer with over 350 stores. Kathmandu is at up to 40 per cent off jackets, thermals, packs, tents and travel accessories from the trans Tasman outdoor specialist, with free shipping over $50. Rebel is at up to 40 per cent off running shoes, gym gear, footy boots and racquets from the Australian-owned Super Retail Group brand, with Rebel Active member deals and click and collect at over 160 stores. All Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, all backed by the Australian Consumer Law.
Week Ahead
Four dates matter for Australian shopper wallets between today and mid-August. Today, Thursday 23 July at 11:30am AEST: the Australian Bureau of Statistics releases the June Labour Force report, with consensus at 4 point 4 per cent unemployment steady. A soft reading strengthens the case for a Reserve Bank hold on 12 August, a strong reading would firm the case for a hike. Wednesday 29 July at 11:30am AEST: ABS releases the June quarter Consumer Price Index alongside the June monthly headline CPI, a double release that fixes the inflation reading for the 12 August RBA meeting. Sunday 2 August at 11:59pm: the temporary fuel excise cut fully unwinds with full excise of 52 point 8 cents per litre resuming from Monday 3 August, average pump prices are expected to rise a further 10 to 12 cents a litre through the following week on top of the current mid-crude spike. Tuesday 12 August at 2:30pm AEST: the RBA cash rate decision. Also today and tomorrow, Day 2 and Day 3 of the Online Retailer Conference and Expo at ICC Sydney (with the ORIAS Awards this evening), drawing about 4,000 Australian retail and ecommerce professionals.
Our Take
Thursday 23 July confirms what Monday and Tuesday hinted at: the household budget path through August is unambiguously tighter than the market thought two weeks ago. Diesel above 2 dollars 20 in four capitals is not a spike, it is a plateau, and it will get worse on Monday 3 August when the rest of the excise cut unwinds. A two car diesel-and-petrol household is now spending roughly 40 to 60 dollars more per week on fuel than in mid June, and that is before any RBA decision, any bill shock from Origin Energy customers being forced to change providers, or any grocery-price shift from the Kalgoorlie ruling. The right household response is not to spend less overall (most Australian families are already at the limit), but to spend smarter, on Australian retailers running genuine live-price discounts rather than on offshore marketplaces or theatre promotions.
That is exactly why It’s On Sale exists. We track 35,000 Australian stores and 45,000 live sale products, every retailer Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, every promotion audited daily against the store’s own price history. No trial traps, no hidden fees, no offshore marketplaces dressed up as a local brand. Today’s Sales shows every store currently running a discount in one place. The AI search reads the way real shoppers ask (try “womens winter knitwear under 100” or “hiking jacket half price”). None of it is Temu, Shein, AliExpress, Wish or any offshore marketplace dressed up as a local brand. Browse Today’s Sales on Thursday morning ahead of a fortnight that will genuinely reshape the balance between fuel costs, energy bills and household spending power, and make your money go further with Australian retailers who stand behind the ticket.