SENATOR DEAN SMITH
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE SHADOW TREASURER
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR THE COST OF LIVING
LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA
2 April 2026
RECORD MOTOR VEHICLE GROWTH LEAVES WESTERN AUSTRALIANS MORE EXPOSED TO FUEL SHORTAGES THIS EASTER
A surging population means Western Australia has experienced the fastest acceleration in the number of motor vehicles in the nation, positioning it to be uniquely affected by the Albanese Government’s fuel crisis.
Figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure & Transport Research Economics (BITRE) reveal that in the period from 2023 to 2025, the number of motor vehicles in Western Australia jumped by over 180,000 – or 7.5 per cent – to 2.62 million registered vehicles.
This was the largest growth rate of any jurisdiction in Australia and well above the national growth of 5.6 per cent in the same period
It follows other recent analysis by the Office of Senator Dean Smith of the latest available Census information* that found WA had the largest number of households with two cars in Australia.
In fact, the West was second only to Tasmania in having the most households with three or more cars.
The data confirms 39.1 per cent of Western Australia households, or 376,783 homes, had two cars – higher than any other state.
The national average was 36.3 per cent and the average in other states ranged from 34.1 per cent (New South Wales) to 37.5 per cent (Queensland).
The WA figure was up slightly on the 38.9 per cent recorded in the previous Census.
Significantly, the West also had a near record number of households with three or more vehicles, at 20.7 per cent, or just under 200,000 homes.
Tasmania was the only state with a higher rate at 22.3 per cent – and both were well above the national average of 18 per cent.
Skyrocketing fuel prices and supply shortages now characterise life for motorists and businesses under Labor, with a failure of forward planning and mixed messaging from an Energy Minister who has clearly been asleep at the wheel.
There are two further aggravating factors to consider in the WA context, where the turbulent fuel situation has been laid bare in recent days.
Firstly, there has been massive population growth since this Census data was recorded, meaning a much higher number of motorists in the West will now be affected at the bowser.
Secondly, it is a simple fact that Perth drivers generally have farther to travel.
Perth is now reportedly the “longest” city in the world, featuring a 150km urban sprawl stretching from Two Rocks to Dawesville.
All this combines to leave WA motorists uniquely exposed to the Albanese Government’s worsening fuel price pain and supply uncertainty – an unacceptable situation now the Easter break is upon us.
Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith:
“Each data study we see confirms it: WA is uniquely impacted by the fuel security failures of the Anthony Albanese Labor Government,”
“WA, and even Perth itself, is a place where many people need a vehicle to shop, to go to work, to care for a relative or do the school run, and on the Albanese Government’s watch they are paying dearly for it.”
“While the recent cut to the fuel excise, which the Coalition forced Labor to adopt, is welcome, Western Australians still need and deserve a plan for fuel supply from their Government – and they are not getting it.”
“I am particularly concerned about communities and businesses in regional WA, with longer distances to travel and even greater price and supply impacts.”
“Worst of all, this comes on top of existing cost of living pressures, with inflation and interest rates up and predicted to stay there, leaving Western Australians poorly placed to absorb fuel price spikes and making for an anxious Easter for many.”
*Census, August 2021