The price of petrol

[matt]

Well...from what I've been told Queensland has traditionally enjoyed lower petrol prices than the southern states.

I certainly noticed a difference when I moved here from Canberra. A difference of about 30 cents a litre, in fact.

There's a bit of noise being made now about the fact it's possibly going to hit $1.50 a litre by the end of the month here.

I filled up the other day with it at $1.43.

It made me wonder what you guys down south are paying for petrol at the moment???

I know it varies...but what's the median price?

[leon]

Today it rose from 130 a litre to 147 at present and it is expected to pass 150 very soon.

Leon

[xelasnave]

I traveled up from Sydney today and 147 seemed the norm...
alex

[xelasnave]

I had to do a down and back trip and have to go again next week to do what Should have gone down for a month ago... I hope it goes down within the week.
alex

[norm]

I filled up on Tuesday for both cars at $1.34, went up to $1.47 the next day - what a rip off !!!

They reckon there is worse to come!

[Ric]

I've been seeing $1.43 as the average at the moment but that's going to change very soon. It seems to me that the petrol companies look for any excuse to squeeze out that last cent from us.

Geez, if Santa farts at the North pole the price goes up by three cents and we don't get a say

Cheers

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

$1.39 in most places around Ballarat and surrounding country. $1.39 here at Snake Valley. So that makes us 'cheaper' than QLD.

Yep, they said on the news tonight it may go to $1.50 very soon

[KG8]

For a liter of non-renewable resource, that you can put in a vehicle to propel it down the road 10 or 20 kilometers, I would say that is quite cheap! In parts of Europe it’s $7/L now. Better get up to speed on “peak oil” news.

[xelasnave]

What ticks me off is our Government's readiness to simply stand back collect revenue from this necessity (for most folk) and say they are taking such a course to somehow ease us into the reality that oil will run out... where then do the tax dollars go..to research into alternatives... I doubt it.
If price is a supply and demand thing why not legislate to keep high consumption cars out of the market ..with less cars that consume un necesssarly amounts of fuel demand would be reduced and the price must therefore go down..well it should if supply and demand are the real drivers of the market... well of course supply and demand is sited as drivers when in fact it is only the greed of those who can control the market by manipulation of fear that supply will dry up because of some crisis here or there... I read something that Rudd is going to dp something aboput chartels..monopolies... lets hope the first he looks at are those in the oil industry including his own Governments tax system that increases the burden without using the revenue to develop or fund development of something else.. AS I understand things are set up to favour 4wds which simply favours the vested interests of manufactures of these vehicles.
Also I wonder what the CEO's of oil companies take home in pay and benefits...do they justify their huge remunnerations on the basis that one needs to be very clever to sell a commodity that has the market by the throat... it would seem to me that little skill would be required to sell something that has such a high demand and a limited supply so lets start introducing efficiencies that trim the fat off the cats at the top... well of course nothing real will happen we are captive consumers who fund the greed of those prepared to take advatage of the helpless... nothing new in that really.
If such a limited resourse one would think a better approach is warrented ... little things could help greatly but its never about doing the right thing by the population it is and has always been a matter of greed ... its funny that as you get older having a grizzle somehow makes you feel better.
alex

[Terry B]

I use diesel and don't get why it is over 10 cents dearer than petrol. 5 years ago it was cheaper than petrol. Last fill I paid 1.54/litre for diesel.

[Louwai (Bryan)]

I remember reading a story in the Financial Review several yrs ago. It was about a guy who sat in an office in Sydney. He worked for 1 specific fuel company.
All areas of each state (in this case NSW) are broken up into supply regions with a number of fuel outlets in each region.
Every time a fuel purchase is made by way of a eftpos or CC transaction, at ANY brand outlet within any region, the sale price /L showed up on a screen in this guys office.

His job was to watch the sale prices of the opposition outlets & if he saw them going up, he would contact his own brand outlets in the same region & instruct them to increase their prices. If he saw the others go down he would instruct the same.

The price increase or decrease had absolutely nothing to do with the price of oil.

The story noted that they could not disclose this person's name or the address of his office for security reasons.
I wonder why???

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

Its been a $1.49 here in Coota for weeks now and I think the only place it was substantially cheaper when we were on holiday was Nowra at $1.39.

[vash (Ashley)]

I don't even bother looking at the price, I know it's going to be painful anyway, may as well make it a surprise. Sometimes it's $20 other times I get carpal tunnel at the pump

[Exfso (Peter)]

What about LPG, now that has to be the biggest rip off of the lot, it is a waste product.

[Bobj]

A link here regards fuel prices around Australia....
http://www.exploroz.com/OntheRoad/Fu...s/Default.aspx

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

So was Flouride until they found out it could be flogged to governments to put in your drinking water.

[tonycynic]

Petrol is too cheap.
Time to put the price up a bit more.
Just another 10c/L.
Let the gov. use the extra cash to cover us paying our rego for each and every vehicle we own.
Time for a bit of user pays on our roads.
Or not.

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by tonycynic

Petrol is too cheap.
Time to put the price up a bit more.
Just another 10c/L.
Let the gov. use the extra cash to cover us paying our rego for each and every vehicle we own.
Time for a bit of user pays on our roads.
Or not.

No problem with the user pays concept but it is my belief that tax from fuel should go to transport related matters..as perhaps you are suggesting re rego..
If we need to manage a finite resource for the future benefit of our nation (the stated reasons behind the petrol price parity line) lets do so with effective action that sees smaller cars and better public transport..whatever... but lets remove the current exploitation of a captive market and absence of Government backbone to do more about dealing with the issues than tiresome gum flapping. Personally I do not need to be taxed to be fuel efficient and I do not need to be exploited to be fuel efficient... and anyone who suggests the game need be this way I can not agree with...

lets tax big macs so folk will not get fat and use the tax to build office blocks in Canberra ..great idea but what about the thin folk who just need a meal? should they bear the burden of the glutony of others who avoid personal responsiblity for their health... maybe in our crazy society that some how seems reasonable..if you are a gluton that is...
alex

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

You got my vote on that one Alex. After years of driving long distances in Aus it still amazes me the number of fuel guzzling 4wd on our roads. 85% of which never leave the bitumen. If you want to be profligate with a dwindling resource, pay a premium for the priveledge that reduces the load on more sensible drivers. But its not going to happen, unfortunately. The human race is a bit like Mr Micawber, "waiting for something to turn up" that will fix the problem.

[xelasnave]

It is a pity that when our Houses of Parliment open and they pay respect to God they dont practice what is preached... greed is a sin.
alex