Adrian Portelli has fired back at a Labor MP who raised traffic concerns about his cut-price Preston petrol station in parliament, branding him a “f***ing moron”.
The LMCT founder fired up in an Instagram video after Preston Labor MP Nathan Lambert raised traffic concerns in Victorian parliament about the members-only LMCT Petrol site on the corner of Gower St and Plenty Rd in Preston.
The site has become a cost-of-living lightning rod after Mr Portelli slashed fuel prices to as low as 50c a litre, drawing long queues and major attention to the northern suburbs servo.
Mr Lambert asked Roads and Road Safety Minister Ros Spence what traffic management requirements applied to the station.
He said nearby residents had raised concerns about being unable to access their homes, or pick up children from Preston High School and Darebin Childcare and Kindergarten.
Mr Lambert also told parliament there were broader questions that could be asked about the LMCT business, including whether section 5 of gambling regulations needed reform.
But Mr Portelli hit back in the video, accusing the MP of questioning a business that he said was saving locals hundreds of dollars during the cost-of-living crisis.
He has also indicated he will be once more discounting unleaded fuel to 99 cents a litre, and calling on the MP to “use your resources” to ensure there is no traffic chaos.
It is presumed Mr Lambert’s “resources” would be tax-payer funded authorities such as police.
“The fact that our taxes are paying this d***head’s wage absolutely blows my mind,” Mr Portelli said.
“This f––ng moron has the nerve to question a company that is saving his residents hundreds, hundreds, hundreds of dollars in one single week.”
Mr Portelli said he could have been in Europe on a yacht “sipping champagne”, but was instead at the Preston station helping locals save money on fuel, groceries, bills and mortgages.
“Here you are complaining about the traffic,” he said.
“From my experience, all I’ve heard from locals is they’re absolutely proud of having the servo in Preston.”
Mr Portelli said local businesses had thanked him for bringing extra customers to the area.
He also claimed he had arranged more than $5000 worth of toys for a nearby childcare centre after visiting the business.
“I didn’t say this to anyone, but I gave them $5000,” Mr Portelli said.
“I hit up Toyworld. I called them up. I said, ‘Hey, let them choose $5000 worth of toys to help them out so the kids have new toys to play with.’”
The post drew strong support from followers, with commenters urging Mr Portelli to run for office, praising the fuel discounts and accusing politicians of being out of touch with families under pressure.
“Vote AP,” one commenter wrote.
Another wrote: “Victoria loves you please run for premier.”
A third commenter wrote: “They don’t want us saving money. They want us broke and broken. This is why they are coming for you.”
Another said: Mr Portelli and LMCT were “doing more for everyday Victorians than most people sitting in parliament”.
Alba founder Thomas Mifsud said the row was unlikely to damage Mr Portelli’s brand, and could instead lift his profile among middle-class Victorians frustrated by government and living costs.
“There is enough poor sentiment with the middle class at the moment towards government where people are going to back in their own,” Mr Mifsud said.
“All this negative press that may be coming from the government is only increasing the profile of Adrian.
“You are going to find more of the majority are going to back him in.”
Mr Mifsud said the Preston clash showed discount fuel and cost-of-living retail were becoming a bigger force in commercial property.
“It points straight to what’s important to people at the moment, their pockets,” he said.
“But there is a real balancing point in how you fit into the local community and the businesses that already make that community what it is.”
He said Preston was already a suburb with a strong identity and a history of community debate, including the long-running battle over Preston Market.
“Preston continues to attract businesses and people wanting to raise a family, good schools and close to the city,” he said.
“This will only heighten the interest in Preston.”
Mr Mifsud said high-demand retail concepts could be powerful for commercial property, but operators had to avoid alienating existing traders and residents.
He said any future LMCT expansion into supermarkets or other discount retail categories would need specialist advice across property, construction, manufacturing and retail.
“There is always a risk in trying to do too much that you are not familiar with,” Mr Mifsud said.
“But someone like Adrian would be leveraging experts in construction, manufacturing, bulky goods or retail.
“If he was investing in the resources and the experts to establish those verticals and make them prosperous, then I think Adrian would accelerate and make a big difference locally and more broadly, faster, safer and easier.”
The Preston fuel fight comes as Mr Portelli continues to tease wider LMCT expansion, including further petrol sites and a possible supermarket play.
Extracted in full from: https://www.realcommercial.com.au/news/adrian-portelli-slams-labor-mp-over-preston-lmct-cheap-petrol-row
