Fuel Ration - 1 Gallon Ration Coupon

Australia's postwar petrol rationing scheme dragged on longer than almost any other Allied nation's — civilian fuel restrictions introduced during the war weren't fully lifted until February 1950, making 1948 coupons like this one products of a peacetime austerity that frustrated the public considerably. The Labor government under Chifley maintained rationing partly to conserve dollar reserves, a decision that became a genuine political liability.

The watermark on a coupon this small is a practical anti-counterfeiting measure rather than a prestige feature — black market fuel trading made forgery a real concern.