Massive $100,000 gasoline giveaway is shut down by police after inflicting visitors chaos in Melbourne as determined Aussies attempt to replenish for the Easter lengthy weekend

A $100,000 fuel giveaway has sparked chaos in Melbourne, with drivers queuing around the block to nab some of the free petrol before it was shut down.

Police were forced to cancel the giveaway after the pile-up caused traffic mayhem near the Liberty petrol station on Leakes Road in Truganina.

The giveaway was held by Billy Beasley of RS Reward and limited customers to $200 of fuel. Drivers were not permitted to fill jerry cans with petrol.

By 8am, a huge queue of cars were already snaking around the block.

‘We’ve got cars everywhere. I’ve just spoken with someone, he’s been here since 4am this morning,’ Beasley said in a video shared on Instagram.

‘This is crazy, I didn’t expect this many people.’

Police arrived a few hours later to help manage the crowds.

‘There’s a lot of people here,’ Beasley said.

‘I would almost say there’s 1,000-odd cars parked up around the block. You can see there’s a huge line that goes all the way around.

‘This is crazy, the police arrived, they’re helping us out and I think we’ve got everything under control.’

Just one hour after the giveaway started, Beasley announced it had been cancelled.

Victoria Police said officers arrived at the petrol station about 7.30am to assist with traffic directions.

‘Leakes Rd became congested following a promotion at a service station where it’s understood free fuel was being handed out,” a police spokesperson said.

‘Police established several hazards due to the increased traffic and engaged event organisers.

‘Organisers worked with police and established an alternative way to run the promotion, which is understood to be in the form of vouchers that can be used later.’

Donald Trump has imposed a 100 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals manufactured outside the United States, in a major blow to Australia.

Australia’s pharmaceutical exports to the US are worth about $1.6billion per year.

The President announced the tariffs would be reduced to 20 per cent for pharmaceutical companies that move their operations to the United States.

Trump has been threatening to impose tariffs on patented drugs manufactured outside the United States for some time.

The tariff is being applied under a provision of trade law designed to protect national security.

This means it is unaffected by the Supreme Court decision that the ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs were unlawful.

Australia has attended a virtual meeting hosted by the UK overnight with more than 40 ministers to discuss viable ways to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Iran was causing ‘economic pain’ by closing the strait, which has resulted in fuel shortages around the world.

‘Australia joined partners in condemning the Iranian regime’s weaponisation of the Strait of Hormuz,’ she said.

‘Ministers urged Iran to act in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which reaffirmed that the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by merchant and commercial vessels, in accordance with international law, must be respected, particularly around critical maritime routes.’

Wong said ministers had agreed on the importance of continued coordination and collective action.

‘The Australian government continues to support de-escalation and the resolution of this conflict,’ she said.

‘The longer this war goes on, the more significant the impact on the global economy will be.’

Motorists are seen filling up at a service station in Karachi, Pakistan

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper speaks during a virtual summit with 35 countries to bring about a viable plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor delivered a nationally televised speech on Thursday night, sharply criticising Anthony Albanese for ‘fuelling confusion’ and failing to show leadership as Australia’s fuel crisis deepens.

Taylor’s address was the Coalition’s formal response to Albanese’s recent national broadcast, which itself was slammed for leaving Australians anxious and uncertain about the fuel supply outlook.

Taylor’s speech argued that the crisis, now into its sixth week, had exposed the Albanese government as slow to act, secretive, and reactive.

‘Australians deserve clarity and leadership,’ Taylor said.

‘Regrettably, both have been absent from our government.’

Taylor claimed the government had initially downplayed the scale of the shortage and then failed to respond decisively once the severity was conceded.

‘The only thing the government has fuelled is confusion,’ he said, arguing ministers kept vital information about fuel supplies from the public until forced by ‘persistent Coalition questioning’ in parliament.

Taylor offered limited praise. He acknowledged the government’s decision to adopt the Coalition’s policy to cut fuel excise, but stressed it only happened under pressure and was ‘too late.’

‘In a crisis, Australians deserve a government that’s transparent and gives you the facts every day,’ Taylor said.

The Liberal leader said that it had ‘taken persistent Coalition questioning in parliament for this government to release any information’.

The Coalition leader’s statement comes 24 hours after Albanese tried to reassure the country that fuel shortages were the result of panic buying, not supply chain collapse – an address which was criticised for raising alarm rather than easing it.

Hundreds of service stations around Australia are out of petrol leading into the Easter long weekend, but a reduction in fuel prices will give some hope to anxious travellers.

Of the more than 8,000 service stations around the country, 653 – or eight per cent – are missing one or more grades of fuel.

Motorists will get an additional 5.7cents a litre off their fuel until June 30 as part of a deal between federal and state governments to forgo some GST revenue, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday.

The move follows a cut to the fuel excise, reducing wholesale petrol and diesel costs by around 26 cents a litre.

While the price drops may provide some relief, the tourism sector remains under pressure, with motorists anxious about the cost and availability of fuel in some destinations.

Caravan parks more than a few hours away from the city were suffering the most from a decline in bookings, Caravan Industry Association general manager of research and insights Peter Clay told AAP.

‘(Travellers are asking) is there fuel available? Is there diesel available where I’m going?” he said.

The cancellation rate for Easter normally sits at about 30 per cent, he said, and that had ticked up this year because of the fuel crisis.

Hotels have also taken a hit as Australians and foreigners cut back on travel, facing a decline in bookings of up to 10 per cent across the east coast capital cities compared to the same time in 2025, Accommodation Australia boss James Goodwin said.

‘If you can afford it, if you are in a position to be able to travel, then don’t put off that travel,” he told AAP.

‘Just make sure that you’re looking around, that you’re going to a place where you know that you can get the fuel, or make sure you fill up before you leave.’

The daily average price of unleaded in recent weeks from March 23 to April 2.

Drivers refuel trucks with diesel fuel at an Ampol service station in Port Botany.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed Australia will not deploy troops on the ground as the war rages on in the Middle East.

‘Australia is not taking offensive action against Iran and we are not deploying troops on the ground in Iran,’ Wong said in a statement on Friday morning.

It comes after the Daily Telegraph reported that 90 Special Air Services (SAS) soldiers had been sent to Iran.

The publication stated the soldiers were sent to the region to help evacuate diplomats if the fighting escalated.