Clair Morton, 2 October 2015
PETROL prices have been driven up by more than 20 cents a litre ahead of the long weekend, an act that NRMA says amounts to giving oil companies money for the sake of it.
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said if anything, petrol prices should be going down this long weekend.
“World oil prices have been trending south so there really isn’t any justification for a price jump beyond their desire to make most of the long weekend,” Mr Khoury said.
“If they do go up, it’s because they’re being forced up artificially by the oil companies.”
According to NRMA’s latest records, the average petrol price in Grafton yesterday was 128 cents a litre.
Yesterday, Caltex outlets in South Grafton and Grafton raised the price of unleaded petrol to 143.9.
Three days ago the South Grafton petrol station was advertising unleaded for 121.9, the same price the Prince St station had listed a week a go.
Meanwhile, their diesel prices dropped from 126.9 on Tuesday to 118.9 cents a litre yesterday.
The Caltex outlets have since dropped their price back to 121.9, but overnight the Grafton BP in Villiers St upped the price of e10 unleaded to 141.9.
Mr Khoury said there was a good chance more expensive outlets would outprice themselves.
He encouraged people to fill up at cheaper service stations where possible.
“Otherwise you’re basically just giving them money for the sake of it, and that’s money you could be spending on your holiday,” he said.
“We want our members to fill up at cheaper service stations.”
Caltex senior media adviser Sam Collyer said petrol prices in Grafton had been heavily discounted for the past month due to aggressive competition, but it couldn’t last forever.
The fact that the price changed in the lead-up to the October long weekend were coincidental, he said.
“The discounts in Grafton have been so significant that the NRMA ranks Grafton as the second cheapest place in New South Wales to fill up your car with petrol,” he said.
“At these prices, retailers can be selling petrol at or below cost. This extended discounting has delivered a great bargain for Grafton motorists, however big discounts can’t last indefinitely.
“Like any Grafton business, we need the price of our products to cover the cost of staying in operation.
“Caltex changed its prices earlier this week to better cover the cost of doing business.”
According to comparethemarket.com.au, the nation’s petrol prices have seen an increase in most capital cities, with some motorists paying an average of 12.4 cents a litre more yesterday than the September monthly average.
Extracted in full from the Daily Examiner.
