The current fuel crisis is creating real and immediate pressures for community service organisations across Western Australia. While the full extent of the disruption is still unfolding, it is clear that organisations will need adaptable, staged contingency plans to maintain essential services and protect the wellbeing of staff and clients.
WACOSS is also communicating to the WA Government that many community services are essential to the social and economic wellbeing of our state and must be recognised as essential services – including in any circumstance where fuel restrictions could be activated.
A contingency plan does not need to be complex or exhaustive. It simply needs to help your organisation think ahead, identify vulnerabilities and outline practical steps you can take if the situation worsens – whether that means further fuel shortages, increased operating costs or reduced availability of the goods and supplies you rely on.
For some organisations, this may involve only a few targeted adjustments; for others, particularly those operating in regional and remote areas, more detailed planning may be required.
This guide is structured to align with the different stages of the Australian Government’s National Fuel Security Plan, which has been adopted by the WA Government.
We are currently operating at Stage 2: Keeping Australia moving (fuel continues to flow, with disruptions).
Organisations should also prepare to escalate to Stage 3: Taking targeted action (ensuring fuel goes where needed most and adopting voluntary measures to limit fuel usage) if conditions worsen.
Here are some actions you can consider for each of the different stages of the Federal Government’s four-staged plan. You may not need to consider every one – choose what is relevant to your organisation’s size, services and location. The aim is to support you to stay operational, keep staff and clients safe through a period of uncertainty.
Stage 1: Plan and prepare – monitor impacts of global factors
Objective: Monitor impacts of global factors and be ready before disruption affects services
Priorities
- Identify non-negotiable face-to-face services, especially: residential services, crisis and safeguarding services, clients with no digital access
- Identify which services can safely shift to remote/online
Actions
- Mobilise Critical Incident Team, develop crisis communication plan and define escalation triggers
- Assign a lead for monitoring fuel availability, price movements and supply chain impacts
- Map fuel reliance and operational risks
- Reduce non-essential travel where possible
- Prepare remote/online delivery capability
- Confirm workforce flexibility (remote work, carpooling) and IR and WHS implications.
- Identify equipment and supports staff will need to work from home
- Assume many clients lack digital access, cannot self-transport and are already in crisis or high vulnerability
Stage 2: Keeping Australia moving
Objective: Slow impact and maintain services through disruptions
Priorities
- Maintain all critical face-to-face services
- Begin reducing or modifying lower-priority, travel-heavy services
Actions
- Actively monitor fuel availability and costs
- Reduce travel through consolidation and prioritisation
- Shift suitable services to phone/online
- Activate partnerships and shared resources
- Begin client communication about potential changes
- Avoid shifting services remote/online where: clients lack devices, connectivity, skills and/or client safety (the need for face to face contact)
- Provide alternative access pathways (local hubs, outreach clustering)
- Assess whether increased travel allowances are required to support staff facing higher fuel costs when using own vehicles
Stage 3: Take targeted action
Objective: Prioritise fuel and adopt voluntary limits
Priorities
- Activate a fuel allocation framework so fuel goes to the highest-need services first (for example, essential outreach, critical deliveries, regional/remote commitments)
- Shift to targeted service models: reduce non-essential travel, suspend lower-priority activities and use local hubs/partners where possible
Actions
- Introduce voluntary fuel-use limits within the organisation (travel approvals, shared vehicles, remote-first delivery)
- Tighten scenario triggers and monitoring (availability, price thresholds, supply chain alerts) and confirm rapid decision-making delegations
Stage 4: Protecting critical services for all Australians
Objective: Protect critical users
Priorities
- Restrict operations to critical services only, with clear criteria and documentation for what continues and what pauses.
Actions
- Coordinate with partners and relevant authorities to support critical user protection and essential supply flows.
- Maintain health, safety and duty of care controls for staff travel, home visits and client wellbeing during reduced-capacity operations.
- Plan recovery and transition back to normal operations (restore services, debrief, update policies).
- Legal and compliance considerations
Recovery & Transition Back to Normal Operations
- Take steps to restore full service delivery
- Debriefing and lessons learned
- Updating policies and procedures for future disruptions