Victorian premier settles bill after forgetting to pay at petrol station

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has repaid a fuel bill after driving off from a petrol station without paying late on Monday night.

That evening, Mr Carroll was receiving briefings on the attack that critically injured independent MP Helen Haines in the north-east of the state.

"Monday was a tough day for a lot of reasons, and I got home and I had a busy night on the phone," Mr Carroll told reporters this morning.

"And my wife and I had a discussion about who was going to return [my daughter's] friend's pencil case.

"I said, I'd do it and I'd get petrol. And then I found out the following day I hadn't paid for the petrol."

Mr Carroll said he fixed up the bill right away and thanked the team at the service station for their understanding.

The ABC understands Mr Carroll was notified of the mistake by the Department of Parliamentary Services, which was contacted by police yesterday.