Gumleaf
March 19th, 2008, 09:10 PM
Thursday Mar 20 11:19 AEDT
A hike in the price of petrol just before the Easter long weekend is part of the normal weekly price cycle, the nation's consumer watchdog says.
But some "rogue operators" lifted pump prices to $1.50 a litre, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says.
The commission has been monitoring pump prices during the past week to expose retailers increasing prices beyond the Singapore benchmark.
"The price hike has generally been below the $1.50 mark," Mr Samuel told the Nine Network on Thursday.
"The daily price movement, particularly that on Wednesday, is not a reflection of a movement away from the Singapore benchmark.
"This is not to forgive the petrol companies or defend them. It's simply to observe that is something that occurs every Wednesday of every week of the year.
"There are some rogue operators out there who have lifted their price above $1.50."
Mr Samuel urged motorists to avoid retailers who were charging $1.50.
"The advice for motorists is avoid those rogue operators."
"They will soon pull back into line ... to meet the competition."
The ACCC will continue to monitor prices during the Easter long weekend.
"The response we got was that there were no reasons that they could indicate to us that the prices should move out of line with the Singapore benchmark," Mr Samuel said."
"They ought to be keeping in line with the Singapore international benchmark that they've set."
The watchdog is also investigating claims retailers are closing down bowsers on the cheap days of the price cycle.
"I'll be getting some reports on that over the next 24-48 hours," he said.
Meanwhile, the NRMA says the petrol commissioner should have the power to prosecute retailers who inflate pump prices unnecessarily.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Wednesday the newly appointed commissioner, Pat Walker, would be watching pump prices closely this Easter.
NRMA president Alan Evans said more needed to be done.
"The government's got to start to crack down ... there has got to be new rules put in place," Mr Evans told the Nine Network on Thursday.
"The petrol commissioner has got to be given real powers to bring them into line because they are really hurting the economy and they are hurting average families.
"The ACCC has got to get in and prosecute these people, put them in jail and throw the key away.
"Unless the petrol commissioner, like an umpire, a referee in a game of rugby or AFL, has got the power to sin-bin the oil companies it won't be any good."
Mr Evans said every cent retailers charge unnecessarily takes $300 million out of the pockets of motorists.
But the federal government has admitted its newly-appointed petrol commissioner won't be working this Easter long weekend - because he has not even started his job.
A spokesman for assistant treasurer Chris Bowen said the only monitoring of pump prices this weekend would be done by the competition watchdog.
"It's the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) with its formal monitoring powers (that will be watching prices)," the spokesman said.
Petrol Commissioner Pat Walker is due to start work on March 31.
©AAP 2008
A hike in the price of petrol just before the Easter long weekend is part of the normal weekly price cycle, the nation's consumer watchdog says.
But some "rogue operators" lifted pump prices to $1.50 a litre, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says.
The commission has been monitoring pump prices during the past week to expose retailers increasing prices beyond the Singapore benchmark.
"The price hike has generally been below the $1.50 mark," Mr Samuel told the Nine Network on Thursday.
"The daily price movement, particularly that on Wednesday, is not a reflection of a movement away from the Singapore benchmark.
"This is not to forgive the petrol companies or defend them. It's simply to observe that is something that occurs every Wednesday of every week of the year.
"There are some rogue operators out there who have lifted their price above $1.50."
Mr Samuel urged motorists to avoid retailers who were charging $1.50.
"The advice for motorists is avoid those rogue operators."
"They will soon pull back into line ... to meet the competition."
The ACCC will continue to monitor prices during the Easter long weekend.
"The response we got was that there were no reasons that they could indicate to us that the prices should move out of line with the Singapore benchmark," Mr Samuel said."
"They ought to be keeping in line with the Singapore international benchmark that they've set."
The watchdog is also investigating claims retailers are closing down bowsers on the cheap days of the price cycle.
"I'll be getting some reports on that over the next 24-48 hours," he said.
Meanwhile, the NRMA says the petrol commissioner should have the power to prosecute retailers who inflate pump prices unnecessarily.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Wednesday the newly appointed commissioner, Pat Walker, would be watching pump prices closely this Easter.
NRMA president Alan Evans said more needed to be done.
"The government's got to start to crack down ... there has got to be new rules put in place," Mr Evans told the Nine Network on Thursday.
"The petrol commissioner has got to be given real powers to bring them into line because they are really hurting the economy and they are hurting average families.
"The ACCC has got to get in and prosecute these people, put them in jail and throw the key away.
"Unless the petrol commissioner, like an umpire, a referee in a game of rugby or AFL, has got the power to sin-bin the oil companies it won't be any good."
Mr Evans said every cent retailers charge unnecessarily takes $300 million out of the pockets of motorists.
But the federal government has admitted its newly-appointed petrol commissioner won't be working this Easter long weekend - because he has not even started his job.
A spokesman for assistant treasurer Chris Bowen said the only monitoring of pump prices this weekend would be done by the competition watchdog.
"It's the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) with its formal monitoring powers (that will be watching prices)," the spokesman said.
Petrol Commissioner Pat Walker is due to start work on March 31.
©AAP 2008