Did you know being caught driving off without paying for fuel in Queensland can earn a minimum five-year prison sentence?
Paying inside a petrol station after you’ve finished at the bowser is a normal experience you generally don’t think twice about in Australia – but one US tourist couldn’t believe what he saw.
Taking to the social media platform TikTok, user russflipswhips was baffled at how Australia’s fuel payment system works, saying: “You guys trust people to fill up their car and then come in and pay [after], like an honour system?
“I’m blown away that people in Australia don’t steal gas, this is just a mind-blowing concept. Like what’s wrong with us in America that we can’t adapt concepts like this,” he said.
However, one commenter added that the etiquette has more to do with Australia’s strict petrol theft laws as opposed to the cultural mateship that we’ve become synonymous with.
“Police will literally show up at your door the next day if you drive away without paying. They have your registration crystal clear on CCTV,” they said.
What are the penalties for stealing fuel at a petrol station in Australia?
- Queenslanders can be served a minimum five-year jail sentence.
- In NSW, Victoria, and the Northern Territory, offenders found guilty of stealing petrol can be issued a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
- In South Australia, guilty offenders charged with a basic theft offence can be penalised with five years in jail, while “aggravated” theft offences carry a 15-year sentence.
- In Western Australia, motorists can get seven years, while guilty drivers in Tasmania can be issued a maximum fine of $20,200 or a one-year jail sentence.
- Theft offences in the ACT can lead to a maximum penalty of $160,000 and/or 10 years in prison.
Read the full version of this story here, which originally appeared in Drive, owned by Nine – the publisher of this masthead.
Read the full article here
