Posts by theo@aacs.org.au

On Tuesday 12th May, 7-Eleven Australia celebrated its 2026 Awards Dinner, an opportunity to recognise the suppliers and partners who play a vital role in its success as the number one convenience retailer in Australia. This year marks 50 years of 7-Eleven Australia making bold moves to lead the market and these awards help to recognise the importance of its partners and suppliers as part of that. Over 500 suppliers, partners and 7-Eleven leaders were in attendance to look back on the 12 months of incredible growth and celebrate suppliers and partners who have made a truly outstanding impact. 7-Eleven Australia Chief Executive Officer, Fiona Hayes, said: “The contribution that our partners and suppliers make is vital to our shared success and it’s great to be able to acknowledge and celebrate this together. Our partners and suppliers operate as an extension of our team, acting in true partnership. I’d like…

A push to shore up diesel supply has triggered plans to expand fuel processing at Geelong’s refinery, but any lift in output is still at least two years away. Viva Energy is working with the Victorian government on a feasibility study into mixing renewable materials like canola oil into diesel. The study, expected to take about a year and cost $8 million, will look at whether the refinery can mix traditional fuel with locally produced materials on a larger scale. If it goes ahead, an initial phase could be up and running within two years, allowing Viva Energy to replace about 3 per cent of crude oil it processes with locally sourced alternatives. “This is work that’s been going on for some time, we’re now at a point where we can move forward,” Viva Energy chief executive Scott Wyatt said. “We’re very conscious of the important role we can play…

Bank reporting of illegal tobacco to AUSTRAC is ramping up and starting to have real world impacts, with suspect funds being confiscated after accounts were flagged by ANZ and Westpac. But there is a lot more to be done … stores remain open and the trade continues to shift online, as illicit alcohol looms as the next big underworld threat. AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas says AUSTRAC has seen hundreds of suspicious matter reports come through, generating dozens of referrals and active leads for law enforcement. By Michael Sainsbury, Senior Business Correspondent Australian banks and payment providers are beginning to take their obligations to report and disconnect illicit tobacco peddlers very seriously, with AUSTRAC seeing a surge in suspicious matter reports coming through its systems. PayDay News understands that AUSTRAC has received 489 suspicious matter reports using the illicit tobacco code. Meanwhile, one bank – Tyro Payments – told PayDay News…

Australia’s former national health boss has fronted a Senate inquiry with a declaration even he admits is a ‘surprise to hear from a clinician’. Aussie business owners have pleaded for a tobacco excise cut, warning that without it, legitimate suppliers could cease to exist in two years. Regional New South Wales shop owner Marney Elizabeth Wishart said she’s had to lay off staff, pull out of sponsorship deals with local sporting teams, schools and the local hospital and can’t afford to open on Sundays because the illegal tobacco trade has cut into her margins. “What we’re doing isn’t working. It’s just not. Business 101: The only way you can succeed in business is to compete with your nearest competitor. We’re not doing that. All we’re doing is making criminals wealthy. Innocent people suffer,” Ms Wishart told a Senate inquiry on Monday. The small business owner said illegal traders reached “Robin…

Let’s call it what it is. Right now, Australians are under pressure. Fuel prices are volatile. Grocery bills are up. Rent, mortgages and insurance keep climbing. The cost-of-living squeeze is real — and it’s hitting households across the country. We get it. But here’s the line we cannot allow to be crossed: taking that frustration out on frontline retail workers. Because that’s exactly what’s happening. Across Australia, more than 75,000 people work on the front line across our petrol and convenience channel. They open stores before sunrise. They serve late into the night. They keep communities moving, safe and supported — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are the face of our industry. And increasingly, they are copping abuse. Verbal attacks. Intimidation. Aggression. All directed at people who have zero control over the very things customers are frustrated about. They didn’t set fuel prices. They didn’t create…

More than $10 billion will be spent bolstering Australia’s fuel security as the federal government attempts to shield the nation from the long-term consequences of the war in Iran. Countries have been scrambling to secure adequate fuel, gas and fertiliser since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, raising questions about whether Australia has adequate emergency stocks in times of crisis. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed next week’s budget will include an Australian Fuel Security and Resilience package, which includes: Currently, refiners and importers are required to store between 20 and 32 days of emergency supplies, depending on the type of fuel they hold. Under the proposal, which will require government and private-sector funding, Australia’s mandatory petrol stockpiles will increase to about 37 days, while diesel and jet fuel will be about 50 days. Mr Albanese said the details of how the package would be funded would be announced in Tuesday’s budget. “This…