Petrol prices have climbed more than 20 cents a litre in Tasmania this year, with local motorists now paying more for fuel than drivers in just about all other states and territories.
TASSIE motorists are now paying more than 20 cents a litre more for fuel than they were six months ago, real-time fuel price reporting data shows.
According to the government’s FuelCheck TAS app, it costs Tasmanian drivers an average of $1.48 a litre for regular unleaded, compared to $1.26 in January – a rise of more than 17 per cent.
Tasmania’s price is higher than the national average of $1.39, and more than the average prices in NSW, the ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
Only motorists in Queensland and the Northern Territory currently pay more for fuel than Tasmanians, according to the Australian Institute of Petroleum’s most recent report.
Restrictions on travel and economic activity due to the coronavirus last year resulted in fewer motorists buying fuel and prices plummeting to their lowest levels in decades.
In August, Tasmanian motorists were paying as little as $1.10 a litre for fuel.
But costs have risen steadily due to the decreased supply of fuel internationally.
The state government introduced mandatory real-time fuel price reporting in September last year, requiring retailers to update prices as they changed to provide greater transparency for consumers.
The policy came with the FuelCheck TAS app and the RACT released its own free price comparison app, called Fuel Saver, in January.
RACT chief advocacy officer Garry Bailey said prices had been tracking up after hitting a low point at the height of the pandemic because of the rise in global oil prices.
“What is important is the margin between the wholesale and retail price remains constant, during the pandemic there was low demand and the margin increased considerably,” he said.
RACT chief advocacy officer Garry Bailey. Picture: Chris Kidd
Mr Bailey said a 12c to 15c range was considered appropriate.
“Shop around, and alert the state government and the ACCC or RACT if you believe the margin is increasing. We can expose it for what it is – price gouging,” he said.
He said Tasmanians had been paying less for fuel than some states in March.
“Tasmanian motorists still don’t reap the benefit of the greater competition in other capital cities where there are weekly fluctuations in the retail price and retailers battle for market share,” he said.
“However, real-time fuel price reporting introduced by the state government and consumer awareness has kept downward pressure on retail prices,” Mr Bailey said.
On Saturday, the cheapest fuel price could be found at Shell in Cambridge who were selling fuel for $1.34.
Closer to Hobart, the best prices on offer were on the Eastern Shore, with United, Caltex, Caltex Woolworths and Coles Express all selling for $1.43 a litre across stores in Bellerive and Howrah.
Extracted in full from: Petrol prices: Tasmanian motorists feel the pinch as costs surge | The Mercury
