27 June 2009

Petrol companies ripping off Canberra again?

| johnboy
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The ABC informs us that petrol prices are running 15 cents a litre higher than Sydney, or even Goulburn or Yass.

It also seems we have both too much competition, and not enough.

One suspects maybe we just have too much money.

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VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy10:14 am 30 Jun 09

caf said :

If everyone went out and bought a 5 year old V8, the prices of 5 year old V8s would rise substantially.

(…and in order to buy 5 year old V8s there has to be an equal number of people selling them – what are they going to buy?)

Priuses?

If everyone went out and bought a 5 year old V8, the prices of 5 year old V8s would rise substantially.

(…and in order to buy 5 year old V8s there has to be an equal number of people selling them – what are they going to buy?)

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy9:34 am 30 Jun 09

imhotep said :

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

… the Toyota Prius is still a long way from making economic sense, especially when you consider that the real environmental benefits of a Prius over other small cars are pretty much negligible.

People buy a Prius for all kinds of reasons I expect, but one of them might be that if we all drove hybrids, the environment would be a slightly better place than if we all drove….VYBerlinaV8s.

If everyone went our and bought a 5 year old V8 instead of a brand new hybrid, each buyer would save about $25k. If everyone pooled their $25k and the resultant millions were spent on a huge tree planting program, we could well be better off.

I love the idea of reducing pollution and improving the environment, but I hate the BS solutions many greenies seem to peddle.

monomania said :

I’m not to sure about that imhotep. You won’t have any figures on that because no body cares if it looks like a good idea and Toyota have told us it is.

So are we all dumb victims of a conspiracy by Toyota? Successful car companies are the ones that make whatever people want. If there was enough demand for a car that ran on cranberry juice Toyota would bring out a model.

Hybrids aren’t THE answer, but I think they are a step in the right direction. You don’t need to be a grrenie to accept that we should burn less fossil fuels.

I do agree with your other comment though. A lot of other agendas are peddled under the ‘green’ label.

I’m not to sure about that imhotep. You won’t have any figures on that because no body cares if it looks like a good idea and Toyota have told us it is.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

… the Toyota Prius is still a long way from making economic sense, especially when you consider that the real environmental benefits of a Prius over other small cars are pretty much negligible.

You are correct in saying that the lower fuel consumption of a Prius doesn’t justify the price premium. But if we all bought cars on a purely rational economic basis, everyone would have a Toyota Camry.

People buy a Prius for all kinds of reasons I expect, but one of them might be that if we all drove hybrids, the environment would be a slightly better place than if we all drove….VYBerlinaV8s.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy6:14 pm 29 Jun 09

I agree mono.

Smug appears to be a very efficient power source.

A koala stamp for that one mutley.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Huh?

I’m not for a second suggesting that environmental study and research is not a good thing, simply that the Toyota Prius is still a long way from making economic sense, especially when you consider that the real environmental benefits of a Prius over other small cars are pretty much negligible.

Neither am I. Just that the financial and environmental cost assessment of remediating the problem is not being carried out. There is “Green” industry out there claims to be environmentally responsible but a lot is simply profit driven. Who needs to be rational about our responses to climate change? It seems that anything goes as long as it claims to be “sustainable” or “renewable” or “reduces Carbon emissions” or “offsets Carbon”

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:36 pm 29 Jun 09

Huh?

I’m not for a second suggesting that environmental study and research is not a good thing, simply that the Toyota Prius is still a long way from making economic sense, especially when you consider that the real environmental benefits of a Prius over other small cars are pretty much negligible.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Top idea the Toyota Prius. Pay $15k more than a similar vehicle that uses 2-3 litres less fuel per 100km. Fortunately it only takes half a million kilometres driven to get to cost break-even…

And they get sales tax relief because they are so environmentally friendly? Will they ever have a payback period environmentally?DrKarl thinks they must. Billions of dollars are being spent on the study of climate change. Is anything being spent on determining the most appropriate ways of offsetting carbon or reducing its production or do we have to rely on greedy green industry and its promotion to the smug gullible like DrKarl to come up with the answers.

Sorry to get so far off post but I blame DrKarl made me.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:05 pm 29 Jun 09

Oh, and petrol costs more here because Canberrans earn more than other Australians, and the retailers can get away with it.

http://www.treasury.act.gov.au/snapshot/AWOTE.pdf

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:00 pm 29 Jun 09

Top idea the Toyota Prius. Pay $15k more than a similar vehicle that uses 2-3 litres less fuel per 100km. Fortunately it only takes half a million kilometres driven to get to cost break-even…

#26 +1.

Smug appears to be a very efficient power source.

Mmm, hopefully the private school will teach them how to spell.

DrKarl said :

Post #13 +1

We are past peak oil now it going to only get more expensive now, I like our new Toyota Prius family car. The fact that I brought a smaller older house closer to the city and insulated it, I grow vegetables on its large section. And I ride my bike with our kids in a bike trailer around the wonderful parkland of lake Burney Griffin, And that we are also all vegans, and save alot of money on groceries, and can send our kid to a private school so they don’t grow up as bogens.

Oh joy, they’ll grow up just like you

$1.13 in Orange today! wonders never cease…I wish i took a few jerry’s!

Ahh the smug delights of LPG at 48 cents per litre vs forking over $1.35 for petrol

GregW said :

Supply – demand. It is a competitive industry.

Get over it.

What a load of bullshit, there is no competition in this market here, and just about every other post here so far that makes sense suggests that is the case……

TP 3000 said :

The petrol companies do say it costs more due to having to transport the fuel, but as most would know there is a Shell storage facility in Fyshwick & the fuel for that comes in by train a few times a week. Well the Shell petrol station 2 blocks away (most of the time) have the same price for petrol as the Shell in Gungahlin. Now shouldn’t the Shell in Fyshwick be cheaper as it could be piped in.

But also numerous times I’ve pulled into a petrol stations in the early morning & I’ve filled my tank (50-60 litres) & for those 5-10 minutes I’ve been the only vechile & the price has stayed the same as earlier that day. No where is the demand?

Also I’ve left for work at 6:30am Wednesday morning & seen the price of petrol at lets say 1.29 c/l. Now I’ve come home at 10:30am & the price of petrol has risen to 1.45c/l. Now as far as I know the PS pay becomes available to PS’s at 9am

You know nothing TP3000. PS’s pay gets run through the interbank computer system on a wednesday evening. The money appears in peoples accounts when the receiving bank has processed the interbank transfer. That can vary from bank to bank. I bank with SOMB and NAB, it seems SOMB goes in about 10pm Wednesday and NAB close to middnight, but never heard of 9am as a rule. The same thing happens to everyone that gets payed direct, although if you bank with the bank your company banks with you would get it earlier as there is no need for an interbank transfer.

As for fuel there is a lack of DIRECT competition in Canberra, owing to the fact that most of our stations are on their own and in suburban centres. The only real competition is in Dickson and Braddon (both places where I worked in servo’s in my younger days).

And your idea of a direct line from the Shell Depot to the shell servo at Fyshwick, do you know how the fuel industry really works? Unless that site is a fully owned and operated Shell site it wouldn’t work.

Hells_Bells7412:10 pm 28 Jun 09

They don’t get paid Wednesday’s typically and it’s often in their banks 12am Thursday morning (PS payday) or sometime before 9am anyhow to my knowledge.

The petrol companies do say it costs more due to having to transport the fuel, but as most would know there is a Shell storage facility in Fyshwick & the fuel for that comes in by train a few times a week. Well the Shell petrol station 2 blocks away (most of the time) have the same price for petrol as the Shell in Gungahlin. Now shouldn’t the Shell in Fyshwick be cheaper as it could be piped in.

But also numerous times I’ve pulled into a petrol stations in the early morning & I’ve filled my tank (50-60 litres) & for those 5-10 minutes I’ve been the only vechile & the price has stayed the same as earlier that day. No where is the demand?

Also I’ve left for work at 6:30am Wednesday morning & seen the price of petrol at lets say 1.29 c/l. Now I’ve come home at 10:30am & the price of petrol has risen to 1.45c/l. Now as far as I know the PS pay becomes available to PS’s at 9am

Yeah, well I don’t eat anything that casts a shadow, you enviro-vandals!!@!@!@!@!!11!!

Clown Killer9:08 am 28 Jun 09

Sorry – “buy in Sydney” not “by in Sydney”.

Hells_Bells749:08 am 28 Jun 09

I love my four cylinder Magna on LPG. 50.4c a litre on Friday, nice!

Clown Killer9:08 am 28 Jun 09

I don’t think that there’s really much value in trying to compare Sydney and Canberra prices for fuel. It might be relevant if we had the choice to by in Sydney and live in Canberra but we don’t. We get to choose between Canberra and Canberra (and Queanbeyan too I suppose).

Post #14 +1

It is time to move beyond quibbles about petrol prices because alternative energy sources, such as wind, solar and karma will be the only long term options. My family own no cars but still manage to get to work at our market stall on a daily basis. Our children don’t go to private schools as we have chosen to home school them to reduce their carbon footprints on the front lawn heading towards the local school. We eat only vegetables we have grown ourselves somehow in a time when water restrictions have destroyed most gardens. Maybe we have no $4,000 plasma TV (or any TV) but we are happy to be entertained, as a family, dancing around the tree I planted that was nourished by the placentas from my offspring.

Blessed be

Post #13 +1

We are past peak oil now it going to only get more expensive now, I like our new Toyota Prius family car. The fact that I brought a smaller older house closer to the city and insulated it, I grow vegetables on its large section. And I ride my bike with our kids in a bike trailer around the wonderful parkland of lake Burney Griffin, And that we are also all vegans, and save alot of money on groceries, and can send our kid to a private school so they don’t grow up as bogens.

Jivrashia said :

Because you’re unsophisticated?

15c per litre = $390 per year (assume you have to fill up a 50 litre tank every week)

Nope. 40 L tank but only fill up once every two weeks. Also, that money comes out pre-tax as I lease.

I don’t drive a gas guzzler so i don’t care about petrol fluctuations. This leaves me with more spare time to complain about roundabout indicators, speed cameras and 80 km zones on duel carrigeways. 🙂

canberra bureaucrat9:06 pm 27 Jun 09

ok, I might have conflated a couple of things there…but you get my drift…

canberra bureaucrat9:01 pm 27 Jun 09

GregW said :

Supply – demand. It is a competitive industry.

Get over it.

+ 1

It is called income elasticity of demand

Or in plain english – Canberrans earn more on average, so don’t search for the bargains so much, and so the average price of many things is higher.

And yeah, heading off the Hume into Goulburn to take the Tarago road home, petrol was also in the mid 120s.

When it was at 135 here, last friday, I did an Ikea run and was surprised to find that petrol was in the mid 120’s on that main drag off the M5 to Homebush.

also, the big main petrol station at Marulan, it was the same price as Canberra BUT, as you exit that, there’s a mobil behind it, and petrol was 10 cents cheaper! argh.

$1.219 at the Woolworths in Yass today, $1.319 on the highway.

futto said :

I just spent $4000 on a plasma TV. Why the hell would i give a crap about 15 cents a litre? Complaining about petrol prices is so 2008.

Because you’re unsophisticated?

15c per litre = $390 per year (assume you have to fill up a 50 litre tank every week)

You TV, which will last at least 10+ years, is worth $400 or less per year.

Which means someone in Sydney will be able to afford another plasma TV while you have to settle for one.

And apparently prices usually rise on APS payday Thursday in this town, who would of thought that could happen!

This is shown especially when travelling to Sydney or Melbourne. If you stop in the large service centres the cost of fuel is generally about 15c more than the cost of fuel in the nearby town.

Yass over the June long weekend, was $1.32 on the highway or $1.09 in Yass.

When I visit the coast I always get my fuel in Bungendore as it has always been cheaper than Canberra prices at the same time.

I just spent $4000 on a plasma TV. Why the hell would i give a crap about 15 cents a litre? Complaining about petrol prices is so 2008.

Ruby Wednesday3:18 pm 27 Jun 09

Perhaps we lack supply, given the number of ‘out of order’ signs my local Caltex seems to perpetually have on its bowsers.

Surely the ABC could have found someone more coherent than Mr Evans to comment.

Supply – demand. It is a competitive industry.

Get over it.

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