http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/petrol/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Petrol-price-wars-rage-on-with-no-end-in-sight/ So the ACCC announced last week an inquiry into the sharing of petrol pricing information by the oil companies, and Coles and Woolworths. Are we to be excited? Well, the motoring bodies came out and welcomed the announcement. A good thing you might say. The only problem is that their reaction is predictable. Sadly, the work of the motoring bodies in exposing the petrol industry games has been very patchy, which has let their members down very badly. Some motoring bodies are consistently very good in going after the petrol industry games while others have been weak preferring to make motherhood statements rather than getting to the heart of the issue. The problem with the motoring bodies is quite simply that some of them are passionate advocates for motorists while others act more like those politicians who try to be everyone’s friend. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Petrol-price-wars-rage-on-with-no-end-in-sight/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Petrol-price-wars-rage-on-with-no-end-in-sight/#item8441 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/voters-ready-to-shoot-from-the-hip-pocket/ There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/voters-ready-to-shoot-from-the-hip-pocket/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/voters-ready-to-shoot-from-the-hip-pocket/#item8154 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-price-of-black-gold-is-white-hot-in-the-red-heart/ Have you ever been to Alice Springs? Well, if you have you will know that the Alice is the heart of Australia in more ways than one. If you haven’t, then you should join the thousands of overseas visitors who regularly flock to the Alice. You will be in awe of many things in the Alice, especially when you see how a community in the middle of Australia can, in so many ways, be a microcosm of our country. The Alice has all the great personalities you get in the big cities. There are the talk show presenters at Radio 8HA like Adrian Renzi, or “Renz” to his friends, who are great at expressing the public indignation on issues of importance to the local community. There is, of course, the local ABC Radio Station where presenters like Breakfast Show host, Stewart Brash, start the locals thinking about the day’s big issues. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-price-of-black-gold-is-white-hot-in-the-red-heart/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-price-of-black-gold-is-white-hot-in-the-red-heart/#item8108 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/excess-excise-excites-bean-counters-incites-motorists/ The everyday driver, stranded by a lack of functional alternatives, is being forced to pay over the odds for the right to put a vehicle on the road. And there is no relief in sight, either as a tax cut or a greater return in the form of increased road funding. The first whack is in ever-climbing vehicle registration fees from state government; the second is from an unrelenting fuel excise which the Federal Government would love to increase but can’t. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/excess-excise-excites-bean-counters-incites-motorists/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/excess-excise-excites-bean-counters-incites-motorists/#item8000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-tip-off-on-stopping-the-big-petrol-rip-off/ Here we go again. Another festive season and yet another petrol rip off! A ridiculously unaffordable scenario Now for some of us there’s nothing new in that - we have simply got used to being ripped off. For the free market theorists and other apologists for the big oil companies and major petrol retailers, like Coles and Woolworths, they like the fact that petrol margins have been growing even if it has been at the expense of motorists. It’s easy for the free market theorists to turn a blind eye to motorists being gouged as some of the free market theorists may be shareholders of the big petrol retailers or may even earn big dollars advising them. They may even have a company or taxpayer funded petrol card. There’s nothing like a vested interest to cloud a person’s economic frame of mind. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-tip-off-on-stopping-the-big-petrol-rip-off/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-tip-off-on-stopping-the-big-petrol-rip-off/#item7471 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Regional-australia-is-being-shafted-at-the-bowser/ Have you ever driven around regional Australia and found large discrepancies in the petrol prices at different regional centres? Do you ever wonder why petrol prices are different in different suburbs? And have you ever been annoyed that the price of the same item may be different at different Coles or Woolworths supermarkets in the same neighbourhood? Well, what you’re witnessing is the practice of geographic price discrimination. It’s common among our major supermarket chains and oil companies. At its simplest, geographic price discrimination means that consumers in some areas are paying a higher price for the same item than they would otherwise have paid elsewhere. There are plenty of examples of geographic price discrimination. Petrol pricing is a well known example. Those who live in the city see it every day when they drive to work, school or the shops. Petrol prices will vary from suburb to suburb with the same petrol retailer charging a different price for the same petrol at their different outlets. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Regional-australia-is-being-shafted-at-the-bowser/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Regional-australia-is-being-shafted-at-the-bowser/#item7312 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-carbonwatch-to-stop-price-gouging/ With the debate raging about the carbon tax and whether the initial carbon price of $23 will lead to any meaningful reductions in greenhouse tax emissions, a new front has opened up in the debate concerning the real possibility that businesses will use the carbon tax as an excuse to price gouge. Price gouging is already a problem in such areas as petrol, airport parking and even groceries. The petrol rip off is now ongoing in many regional areas and even in the city average petrol prices do not come down as quickly as they should when there are falls in the Singapore benchmark price used to calculate local prices. Airport parking rates keep going up and visitors to major airports are held hostage to the monopoly power of the airport owners who get nasty with parking infringements if you dare to pick up a loved one from the “wrong” area. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-carbonwatch-to-stop-price-gouging/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-carbonwatch-to-stop-price-gouging/#item6320 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/its-not-singapore-slinging-us-at-the-petrol-pump/ Are you sick of being ripped off at the petrol pump? Are you annoyed that despite ample oil supplies on the market to meet current demand the speculators persist in trying to push up world oil prices?  And don’t forget that the Singapore benchmark for refined petrol used to calculate local petrol prices remains one of the highest in the world. A rip off is a rip off. The fact is that despite consistently being an inflated benchmark the Singapore benchmark for unleaded petrol has fallen dramatically since May 6. Despite valiant efforts by the speculators to try and prop up world oil prices, the Singapore benchmark price has fallen signifcantly. As the Singapore benchmark price falls so should the local wholesale and retail petrol prices. The problem is that falls take forever to be passed through to motorists at the pump. We are given the usual “reasons” for the time lag. We are told that it takes time for the oil companies and major retailers to clear out old stock bought at the old, higher price. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/its-not-singapore-slinging-us-at-the-petrol-pump/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/its-not-singapore-slinging-us-at-the-petrol-pump/#item6222 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sack-the-petrol-commissioner-were-paying-too-much/ Are you fed up with costly political gimmicks by the Federal Government? Well, you should be as those gimmicks are costing you, the taxpayer, lots of money. We all know about the money wasted on Fuelwatch and GroceryChoice. While those debacles are long gone, they are not forgotten and serve as a constant reminder of how taxpayers’ money can be easily wasted. That’s why we need to be vigilant to ensure that the Government doesn’t waste any more of your taxpayer money. Now there is one ongoing waste of money and that relates to the so-called Office of the Petrol Commissioner. Here we have a Petrol Commissioner at the ACCC that “watches” petrol prices. You probably wouldn’t know, and perhaps don’t even care that we have actually had two different ACCC Petrol Commissioners appointed. The first left quickly, and the second one, Joe Dimasi, had been a long time ACCC staffer who was up-sized to a Commissioner title, with all the added costs to the taxpayer that a Commissioner title brings with it. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sack-the-petrol-commissioner-were-paying-too-much/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sack-the-petrol-commissioner-were-paying-too-much/#item6029 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-town-aint-big-enough-for-two-petrol-sheriffs/ Do you know that we have an ACCC Petrol Commissioner? If so, do you know the person’s name and what he does? Why are these questions important? Well, simply because you as taxpayers should know that the Federal Government is using your money to employ a person who was, according to the Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan, going to be your “Petrol cop on the beat.” When we talk of “cops on the beat” we tend to think of high visibility, deterrence and powers of arrest. On each of these criteria you need to wonder how the so-called “Petrol cop on the beat” rates? penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-town-aint-big-enough-for-two-petrol-sheriffs/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-town-aint-big-enough-for-two-petrol-sheriffs/#item3701 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 There are sentences which in politics can sum up the mood of the times. In the United States in 1992 it was Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” which encapsulated the sense among voters that George Bush Snr was not focussed on bread and butter issues affecting family budgets. For all the heat in Australia around issues such as border protection and gay marriage, the number one concern for put-upon families is the cost of living. It is simply staggering how expensive Australia has become. Once, tourists from the United States and Europe would come here and live like kings off the back of our low dollar; today they must think long and hard about whether a visit Down Under is affordable. For those of us who actually do live here, the joys of a cheap holiday to the States, where you can do a year’s clothes shopping at stores like Gap for less than $200, in no way erase the often depressing budgetary reality of life in a country where the cost of power, real estate, petrol, clothes and food have been off the scale for the past few years.