1 February 2010

Canberra Petrol Prices

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It’s probably not the first time someone has raised this topic on RA, but it really gets under my skin.

I just spent a few days in Sydney, and filled up on the M4 for $1.15 per litre, only to come home and find prices close to $1.30. It’s just absurd.

No one can tell me that the nations capital is so remote and so small that we deserve to pay 15cents a litre more than Sydney.

We just cop it sweet, and the oil companies screw us. It’s time Canberra made some noise that gets heard. A good place to start would be to stop buying our petrol from the big boys. Coles and Woolies drive most of it these days.

There are still a few independants around, but as long as we are too lazy to go out of our way in order to fight, nothing will change.

Maybe someone else has some ideas about what else the people of Canberra can do. I just won’t accept NOTHING as an answer.

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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..

Felix the Cat8:08 pm 02 Feb 10

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.

Rawhide Kid No 26:12 pm 02 Feb 10

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…

Clown Killer3:35 pm 02 Feb 10

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.

troll-sniffer2:13 pm 02 Feb 10

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! 🙂

Thumper, while ever there is a GST component attached to fuel no government is ever going to go out of its way to seriously challange oil companies over high pricing. How many times have we heard that oil companies ‘are on notice’ only to be later told ‘well we looked into it and couldn’t find anything untoward going on’.

Snarky said :

Use less petrol by driving less frequently. Car-pool. Ride a bike for short trips. Take a bus or taxi. Examine your lifestyle to see if the price you’re paying to get to your job/schools/social life is worth it, and if not, change job/schools/social life. Use the internet for your shopping and get it home delivered. Plan your vehicle journeys so that you do two, three or more errands in one trip. Buy a Blu-Ray home theatre system and rent movies through the mail. Host parties, don’t go to them. Make friends with your neighbours and move a part of your social life within walking distance. Patronise your local shops because they’re closer and they need your support more than Coles or Woolies do. Fly at unpopular times at night to get cheap air fares (it’s also quicker and less petrol to and from the airport). Pump up your car tyres to slightly higher than recommended pressure and check them regularly. Keep your car serviced. Use video conferencing via Skype for work meetings rather than driving between offices.

Change the way you look at your life; choose to stop running a rat race. And always wear sunscreen.

🙂

You get a 10/10 from me for all those suggestions. Does not address the Canberra/Sydney discrepancy, but I agree with all your suggestions as a separate issue.

Clown Killer10:10 am 02 Feb 10

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.

Although the old arguement, here is here and there is there holds strong normally with these such topics, I must say that when I return home from Europe later this year, I WILL NOT COMPLAIN over the fuel prices that we have in Oz. The average price hear in Germany for Super is (has been for years, and don’t forget the rate on most consumables stayed the same as what the DM was) 1.45 Euro per liter. Will let you work that out exactly in AUD, but it is nearly double ($2.85). They have the enviro tax hear specifically for automobiles. The cost of living is about the same, as are distances travelled to work v’s public transport (also more expensive than Canberra, about $4.50 for a 20km journey). What does get on my nerve tho is the fluctuation in fuel prices on any given day, even if a truck load of fule has/hasnt been delivered parallel to fuel price rise. And yes, although it happens hear too, it too is worse here. We regularly see a fluctuation in bowser prices at any given Tankstelle of up to 3 times per day, and when it does drop (usually by 5-7c), it is only for 2-3 hrs. Also, the automobile fuel prices in Europe are affected by all other fuel prices in the zone, which includes household gas, which are supplied from the East. Last thing I heard about the variation in Canberra to Sydney prices was the amount of fule delivered to ACT when it gets here is less due to it being colder. Dont think they would get away with that crapy excuse here!

The NRMA get pretty fired up about this.

Strikes me an NRMA owned servo in both north and south Canberra, which would not be required to vary fuel prices according to some phase of the moon, would soon stop the rip-off prices, and the cycle.

Wishful thinking?

Use less petrol by driving less frequently. Car-pool. Ride a bike for short trips. Take a bus or taxi. Examine your lifestyle to see if the price you’re paying to get to your job/schools/social life is worth it, and if not, change job/schools/social life. Use the internet for your shopping and get it home delivered. Plan your vehicle journeys so that you do two, three or more errands in one trip. Buy a Blu-Ray home theatre system and rent movies through the mail. Host parties, don’t go to them. Make friends with your neighbours and move a part of your social life within walking distance. Patronise your local shops because they’re closer and they need your support more than Coles or Woolies do. Fly at unpopular times at night to get cheap air fares (it’s also quicker and less petrol to and from the airport). Pump up your car tyres to slightly higher than recommended pressure and check them regularly. Keep your car serviced. Use video conferencing via Skype for work meetings rather than driving between offices.

Change the way you look at your life; choose to stop running a rat race. And always wear sunscreen.

🙂

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