Fed: Govt primises to get rid of petrol price swings
CANBERRA, April 18 AAP - The federal government has promised to try to end wild swingsin petrol prices, particularly around holidays and weekends.
Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said he wanted to give motorists a fair go at thepump but the Labor Party questioned the government's commitment to act on petrol prices.
This week Mr Macfarlane met oil company representatives to discuss how to iron outprice peaks and troughs while protecting small retailers.
He said the meeting agreed to a review of the industry, to give the Australian Consumerand Competition Commission (ACCC) more power over the fuel sector and to dump laws overservice station sites.
"The aim of the exercise is to ensure that there is a fair pricing regime right throughthe chain, particularly at the retail sector," Mr Macfarlane said.
"Hopefully what that means for the consumer is some evening out of some of the spikesthat we've seen in pricing arrangements."
Mr Macfarlane said he wanted to see the introduction of terminal gate pricing, removingthe system of discounting which gave motorists fuel subsidies on some days but not others,such as public holidays.
But opposition assistant treasury spokesman Mark Latham and industry spokesman CraigEmerson said the government had sat on its hands for six years while Treasurer Peter Costellohad raised concerns during the last election campaign about the ACCC getting extra powersover petrol.
"Mr Macfarlane should now stop making vague generalisations and explain precisely whathe intends to do - and when," they said in a statement.
"(The government) must achieve greater industry competition, an end to price exploitationon weekends and public holidays, and lasting gains for motorists."
AAP fh/cjh/de
KEYWORD: PETROL DAYLEAD
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