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Fuel Ration - 2 Gallon Ration Coupon
| Issuer | Commonwealth of Australia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 30 November 1948 |
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| Obverse description | Blue letterpress coupon with the Australian Coat of Arms vignette at top centre, flanked by issuing authority and ticket title inscriptions. The central field carries the gallon denomination numeral and written quantity on either side of the validity date. A consumer endorsement instruction runs along the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse is plain and unprinted, the paper stock presenting a uniform cream-buff tone with no text, vignette, or security devices. |
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| Comments |
Australia introduced petrol rationing in October 1940 as a wartime measure, but the system was not fully abolished until 1950 — making 1948 an unusually late date for coupons of this kind, issued during a period of postwar fuel shortages tied to dollar-currency import restrictions rather than any active military emergency. The Commonwealth government's continued rationing long after the war's end was politically contentious and contributed directly to Labor's defeat in the 1949 federal election.
Two-gallon increments reflected the smaller tank capacities and fuel consumption rates of the era's domestic vehicles. Surviving coupons are common in used condition; unused examples in intact booklets are harder to find, as most booklets were broken up at the point of redemption.