Canberra Petrol Prices

Did anyone else notice the 19c per litre rise in petrol prices yesterday?
$112.9 to $131.9 at 2 Woolworths Caltex servos in Tuggeranong.

I thought I read in the media recently that the price of petrol should be falling.

Is there anyone we can complain to that can actually achieve a result for us?

youami said :

And how do you work that out: Canberra -v- Marble Bar? And transport is not an argument it is fact! Do you see a refinery or fuel hub in Canberra? Look at http://motormouth.com.au/ and I think you might be comparing apples to oranges here, I am interested to see your facts on Marble Bar prices and also if there is any logic (ie. subsidies, etc.). Closest I could find out of the list of WA country towns for Marble Bar is Port Hedland (141.5) and it is almost 15c more expensive than Canberra (~127), but Canberra is comparable to Hobart prices (~127), and Newcastle is 1c more expensive (~128) and let’s not forget that Canberra has a smaller population than the Newcastle region.

So yes, it is a regional centre that receives regional quality services (and I mean that in a truly negative way!)… hey my parents live on the NSW Mid-north Coast and they receive better television coverage than Canberra!

And finally, if you don’t like the cost of petrol then don’t drive and do all the things that Snarky suggests. Driving is a privilege not a right.

So you are telling me, that it is reasonable for petrol to cost the same in Hobart as it does in Canberra? Petrol which comes into the Australian mainland refineries, then gets put back on a tanker and shipped to Hobart, should cost the same as petrol delivered to Canberra from Sydney / Melbourne?

I guess it’s possible but it doesn’t really explain how the price for 98RON was 15 cents / litre cheaper in Albury on my recent trip than it was on the same day in Canberra..

The so called independent servos are around the same price or dearer than Coles/Woolies servos, especially if you take the discount voucher into account, so why go there?

But it doesn’t explain why Goulburn is quite a bit cheaper than Canberra. I guess it is the joys of a (improper) market economy.

troll-sniffer said :

I’m sure a truly knowledgeable person could come up with even more justification for picking your pockets.

The fact is it is an unregulated industry and they will charge the price your still willing to pay. Its supply and demand. Simple as that. Stop buying and the price will go down. (But not practical in a town like Canberra) But then I could be wrong.

ck, I don’t do ‘apps’ lol so I had to use my head whilst on lunch whilst at work… I am one of the few left in the world that hasn’t succumbed to iPhone (or any proper noun that starts with a little ‘i’. And I thought you would have been talking about diesel but neglected to mention that is I wanted to rant…

Youami, I think that your ‘sarcasm’ app mightn’t swithched on. In your defence I will confess that I only ever buy diesel and it is those prices that I was refering to.

Many things come into play here among which are:

It costs more than you might think to transport the fuel up to Canberra, I’m guessing a round trip in a road tanker would be at least $2500, so there you have 5c a litre to start.

Canberra drivers are more affluent than the drivers around where you’re likely to see those discount signs, if you go into the more affluent areas of Sydney you will see prices closer to Canberra’s.

Canberra retailers used to have to absorb the loss of quantity due to different temperatures, generally lower in Canberra, so 10,000 litres loaded in Sydney might be only 9,900 litres in Canberra, and due to the small margins involved the retailer might not recover that imbalance for the first thousand litres sold. (Correct me if provision is made for this discrepancy nowadays).

So there ya go, all explained, and I don’t even work in the industry! I’m sure a truly knowledgeable person could come up with even more justification for picking your pockets.

Clown Killer said :

I do love the argument often put forward that the extra transport costs to Canberra are to blame for higher prices – given that Canberra is so out of the way. On the other hand fuel in places like Newman, Marble Bar, Tom Price and Port Hedland are consistently cheaper than Canberra – I guess thats because they’re not in remote, out of the way locations.

Ceej is right though – we’ve got nothing to complain about when you compare our fuel costs to Europe.

And how do you work that out: Canberra -v- Marble Bar? And transport is not an argument it is fact! Do you see a refinery or fuel hub in Canberra? Look at http://motormouth.com.au/ and I think you might be comparing apples to oranges here, I am interested to see your facts on Marble Bar prices and also if there is any logic (ie. subsidies, etc.). Closest I could find out of the list of WA country towns for Marble Bar is Port Hedland (141.5) and it is almost 15c more expensive than Canberra (~127), but Canberra is comparable to Hobart prices (~127), and Newcastle is 1c more expensive (~128) and let’s not forget that Canberra has a smaller population than the Newcastle region.

So yes, it is a regional centre that receives regional quality services (and I mean that in a truly negative way!)… hey my parents live on the NSW Mid-north Coast and they receive better television coverage than Canberra!

And finally, if you don’t like the cost of petrol then don’t drive and do all the things that Snarky suggests. Driving is a privilege not a right.

Just wait until petrol starts running out in a decade or two…
Enjoy paying $1000 to fill up! 🙂