Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead has slammed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for its response to fuel prices in the Myall Lakes.
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Mr Bromhead claims the ACCC is not catering to the concerns of residents and that they need to bring the large fuel companies to account for recent price movements and discrepancies.
He said an explanation is needed as to why residents are paying excessive prices.
“If the ACCC don’t believe they have sufficient powers to act, investigate and prosecute they should ask for legislative from the federal government,” Mr Bromhead said.
“If they believe their powers are sufficient they need to take action now or a new petrol ombudsman should be created with all the anti-competitive powers similar those setup in the EU and the USA.”
Mr Bromhead encouraged residents to support independent service stations.
“Over recent months we have seen the prices between the Mid Coast, Hunter and Sydney come closer to parity, the best advice to local residents is to support the independent and send a clear message to the ‘Big Four’.”
Mr Bromhead put forward a notice of motion in State Parliament in September 2017 to investigate the issue in the MidCoast region.
Meanwhile, motorists have been encouraged to check out the State government’s FuelCheck app.
Data from the app shows across NSW that independent service stations consistently provide the cheapest fuel.
Friday is also considered the cheapest day to fill up where the most expensive is found on a Tuesday.
It has also been revealed that more than a 20 cent price difference in fuel has been found between some service stations in the same suburb across NSW.
It has been well received since its introduction with over 115,000 downloads.
Mr Bromhead said a bit of research before filling up your car can save hundreds of dollars per year.
“The FuelCheck app gives the power to the people to easily find the cheapest fuel whether it is around there local community or on a road trip,” Mr Bromhead said.
The app also includes a ‘Favourite Stations’ function where users can save their preferred petrol stations.
The ‘My Trip’ function uses Google Maps to enable users to find the cheapest petrol station on their trip and direct them to a station.
The ‘Trends’ feature shows which day of the week has the cheapest fuel and price ranges for the day.
The Fuel Check service is also available at www.fuelcheck.nsw.gov.au/app