Premier Ben Carroll admits driving off without paying for fuel after servo alerts police

Victoria’s Premier Ben Carroll has admitted driving away from a petrol station without paying for fuel, prompting a call to the police. 

The incident is understood to have taken place late on Monday night when he was driving his personal car.

‘Late Monday night, I was running some errands and filled up the car with petrol,’ he said on Wednesday morning. 

‘Found out yesterday I forgot to pay. I fixed the bill straight away. 

‘Grateful for the team at the servo for their understanding.’

Police contacted Victoria’s Department of Parliamentary Services over the unpaid fuel, according to The Australian, and Carroll was notified. He then settled up with the petrol station.

Earlier this year, former Premier Jacinta Allan told Victorian parliament’s question time that there had been an increase in drive-offs from petrol stations.

‘We are seeing a rise in that incidents of drive-offs at service stations, and it is an illegal practice, it needs to be prosecuted,’ she said.

It comes as Victoria prepares to head to the polls for the state election on November 28, which is expected to be hotly contested.

Victoria’s Upper House could be ‘evenly split’, according to the latest voting intention analysis by Roy Morgan, published on Tuesday.

‘The race to secure a majority of seats in Victoria’s Upper House is evenly poised with the L-NP Coalition-One Nation set to secure 18 seats, level with the ALP-Greens (18 seats), and the remaining four seats are undecided,’ the organisation said.

More to come.