What have you done since petrol prices dropped?
Last year, just as the price of petrol was beginning to drop from highs of over $1.70 per litre, we asked how you were dealing with high petrol prices. But now, despite predictions the drop was temporary and it would only continue to rise, the price has fallen, and significantly.
In the past we’ve published blogs about ethanol in petrol, discussed using premium unleaded, fuel alternatives, the benefits of car pooling and the price of diesel, looked at Hybrid technology and asked what you thought about making Sydney’s CBD car free. The Howard Government initiated an LPG grant of $2000 for those who wished to convert their cars from petrol to gas or $1000 to put towards a brand new LPG-powered vehicle, and we asked if you took up the offer.
All were prompted by the debate surrounding the high price of petrol.
During the period of extreme petrol prices, the Rudd Government initiated a Fuel Watch scheme to ensure road users were not being ripped off by petrol companies and service station owners.
The number of people using public transport rose to its highest rate in almost 10 years and 2008 saw motorcycles sell in record numbers, increasing by 3.2 per cent on the record set in 2007.
Then, at the end of last year, we saw petrol at its lowest price in almost a decade, falling below $1.00. On the day of writing, the lowest price of the day was 108.9 cents per litre.
So what did you do when prices were high and what have you done since they dropped?
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February 9th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
i want to know petrol price in baroda city since last six month
February 10th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I saw Diesel cheaper than ULP in Brisbane yesterday!
Diesel was $1.159 vs ULP at $1.179.
Yipee for diesel car owners.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:38 am
What petrol price reductions??!! Back up to $1.26 a litre in Brisbane today 13/2/09 and climbing, in spite of oil below $40 a barrel. This is a bloody disgrace, want to see the interest rate cuts instantly wiped out by petrol prices? Just watch your local bowser! When are we going to get a government anywhere in Australia that actually looks after Australians first? I’ve yet to see one.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I am frustrated with the petrol pricing …where is the fuel watch..Prior to Xmas the price of the barrels were $200.00 and we were paying $1.60 – $.170 for a litre of fuel. The prices of the barrel started coming down and the price of a barrel was around the $38/$40 mark. At Xmas, Jan we were paying $1.00 now we are at $1.30..the price for a barrel goes up a little but it seems that if the barrel goes up $1.00 we get slugged .10c and thats a big increase when you look at the amount of cars in Australia. Who is making money? Arent we in a recession?
February 15th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
can someone please explain to me why fuel is over $1 a litre at the present moment 15/2/09 the unleaded price is $1.15 and the price of a barrel of oil is $35 and the aussie dollar is hovering at around $65us cents, so why are we paying this over rated price the sing oil price cant be far off the world oil price as thats always a good excuse for the fuel companies that te sing price is high??
the economic stimulus package which is about to be introduced will have no effect if we are all paying high fuel costs.
February 16th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Hmm, we’re still paying over $1.32/litre for diesel in Country NSW as at 16/2, and that’s within 4hrs of Sydney.
We have no public transport to speak of, (there is one XPT train a day) so everyone relies on cars and 4wd’s.
The only bus service to any nearby towns are for school kids only, and obviously they are only twice a day.
Vehicle usage is unchanged, all services are drive only so drive is what you do.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
What petrol price drop ?
When barrel price was nearing $200, pump price was nearing $1.70/litre.
Now barrel price is less than $40 and we are paying around $1.20/litre at the pump – you can’t say that this is because of the aussie dollar exchange rate or Singapore crude price ! Oil companies are ripping us off (again). What happened to the NRMA’s voice for motorists ?
February 20th, 2009 at 8:15 am
This is getting beyond a joke. Barrell of oil keeps dropping in price, petrol keeps rising, Aussie $$$ is remaining pretty level, fluctuation 1 or 2 cents. Come on NRMA, get out there and make the Oil companies and the Government Accountable. If your excuse is the Singapore gate price, well find a new supplier. This is a global economy after all.With the Barrel price at $34, petrol should be bellow $1 a litre.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I was just looking for a place to rant about petrol prices. Seems that this post is the right place, most of the commenters already stated my feelings. Frustated, Mick, Patrick are thinking exactly the same as I wanted to ask the NRMA. NRMA always portray themselves and “the motorists voice” to the government, because they won’t listen to us individually, so PLEASE NRMA, why don’t you explain in this same blog or please investigate why a barrel costing 1/4 of what it used to cost only translates to 30/40 cents savings at the bowser. (1.35 average today 20/02/2009)
Thanks.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I too want to know why petrol is still well over $1 when the global price has fallen to 25% off its peak.
Consumers are being raped by the big petrol companies! NRMA etc need to make themselves heard on this!
Not happy!
March 10th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
When petrol was high I purchased petrol according to the weekly price cycle. That is I filled up on Tuesday afternoons and Tuesday nights when prices were at there lowest. I do the same now that petrol prices are low.
Thank God the Government’s FuelWatch scheme did not get up because this would have killed off the weekly pricie cycle and lead to higher prices and less price competition in the market place.
Regardless of petrol prices I refuse to buy E10 because it contains less energy than Unleaded and although it is cheaper on a per litre basis you end up using more of it so motorists are out of pocket. While Ethanol is held up to be environmentally friendly the claimed environmental benefits of ethanol are questionable at best. Ethanol is simply a subsidy to Farmers.
When petrol prices were high I drove less so my carbon emmissions were less. Now that petrol prices are lower I drive more hence more carbon emmissions. However I would rather pay higher prices for petrol than pay extra in tax in the form of an Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). My reasoning is that my Superannuation Fund gets dividends every time Woolworths and Caltex make a profit. But no matter how much the government takes in tax there never seems to be better trains, better roads or more buses.
No matter what what the petrol price is I totally ignore the advice of the NRMA… they suppoorted petrolwatch, they supported the introduction of ethanol and while they are concerned about global warming and climate change they don’t want petrol prices to increase which is the most obvious and simplist way to lower carbonon emissions from transport.
Also they are always telling us that the Oil companies and the petrol retailers are ripping us off because they make a profit so they can pay dividends to shareholders (which probably includes all of our super funds). However if people were more concerned about their Super and less concerned about petrol prices they would all probably be richer.
March 24th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Can anyone explain why Diesel is so cheap at the moment? It costs less than premium unleaded at most places I’ve been, and only a few cents more than normal unleaded.
March 25th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Dutchie diesel prices are falling because global demand is falling.
To understand why this is so consider the folloing facts about diesel pricing:
1. Crude oil, diesel and petrol are different products and are bought and sold in their own markets.
2. Each market is regionally based and there are linkages and transactions between regional markets. Australia’s regional market is the Asia-Pacific market.
3. Diesel prices in regional markets reflect the supply and demand balance in each market. So, diesel prices (like most commodity prices) are determined by market forces, not by the cost to produce it.
4. Diesel is the dominant fuel in the Asian region and in recent years there has been a significant increase in demand, particularly as a result of the economic and industrial growth in China and India; Australian demand for diesel has also grown strongly, particularly on the back of the mining and commodity boom.
Given that the world economy has hit a wall and our mining industry is cooling off the demand for diesel is falling which is being reflected in the retail price. That is as demand falls so too has the price.
Why isn’t ULP falling continuing tio fall you may ask. Because compared to diesel demand for ULP is not as greatly influenced by world demand and economic activity.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Just drive the car less. it’s that easy, and don’t say using it is essential. I live out in the country and schedule my driving so I don’t have to do multiple trips. Therefore less fuel used. But then again city people…………….
May 18th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
I traded in my 2.4L Ford Corsair on a 1.6L Hyundai Getz and I’m saving a bundle on fuel. Next time the fuel prices go through the roof, it won’t be so painful.
July 19th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Now that petrol (fuel) prices have dropped, we also know that it’ll rise again. The fact is when the price of light sweet crude (and other related oil prices) dropped, the price of petrol was still at it’s high for quite a number of months. And when the price of crude oil increases, the pumps are hollering and yelling and complaining that they’re losing money and they need to increase their prices!! Perhaps the price of petrol should reflect the price of crude oil with as little lag time as possible?
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Pete Says,
I live at Inverell 2360 which is in the North West of the State and LPG is anything between 69.9 and 73.9 Per Litre. I was in Sydney & Newcastle two weeks ago and LPG was 49.5 cents per litre and in some places 48.9 per litre.
Its the same with petrol pricing, we are getting ripped off in the country areas.There is no way extra 20 cents per litre can be blamed on freight.
Its not the Service Station Prop who is ripping us off its the agents who supply them.In a lot of cases the larger fuel agent owns the service station.
Regards,
September 8th, 2009 at 11:15 am
The price of fuel is a joke if you try to reason the pricing from Singapore or the world price of crude oil or even the strength of the Aussie dollar. All of these can and do affect the prices we pay for our fuel at the bowser, however if you want to lay some blame for the prices we pay lets start to keep our politicians accountable for the position our country is in. Previous governments haven’t done anything to change things so why should we think that our current government will do anything. Our illustrious leader would have us believe he is doing something for the people of Australia, but his agenda is only focused on what is going to be the best for Kevin Rudd, that is, what is going to be the best career path that can be achieved by screwing over the country of Australia. The reality for all Australians is going to be the legacy of debt to be paid by our children and possibly our grand children if the trend of wasteful spending continues. What does anything I have said have to do with the price of fuel? Well, if Mr Rudd gets his legislation for carbon credits approved and passed, expect to be paying through to nose for it. What does Mr Rudd want for Australia? He wants the most heavily biased costs to disadvantage all Australian business so that the country cannot compete with the heavily subsidized products from overseas. Why? because he is angling for his dream job. Nothing to do with being environmentally conscious and aware, because there are many things that would make some difference for the better, but these are not the issue only ‘Kevin Rudd’.
Fuel watch was only a ruse to make it look like something was being done, except all it achieved was to cost the tax payer for absolutely nothing. Reducing taxes on the fuel would be the best way to reduce the fuel cost to us the little Aussie battlers, but we only vote the politicians in. It is still the big business and wastefulness of the governments that keep the prices where they are, and still rising, while we pay for it!
October 6th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I Live in the ILLAWARRA whist travelling to work this morning I notice one fuel station price per litre diesel $1.19.9 less than 5klms down the road the same service station company selling diesel at $1.30.9 if this is not ripping off people I dont know what is. If people are fair dinkum something should be done and done quick to stop fuel companys RIPPING OFF MOTORIST
November 4th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Petrol prices are still rediculously high – makes me not want to drive my car much. I suppose one good benefit is that I am reducing my carbon footprint!?
December 10th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I notice that not only has the low petrol price cycle moved from Tuesday to Thursday but also the turn over time has been moved from 5pm to 4pm.
Is this to trap the unsuspecting motorist who doesn’t knock off work till 4pm?
Why doesn’t the Gutless Government do something? At least they could help by making half the oil companies have low cycle happen on Tuesdays and the other half on Thursdays. Don’t you think this would generate a bit of competition in the market, thus maybe helping to lower fuel prices.
But no, the oil companies do not want competition and the Government won’t do anything because they are raking in the GST and fuel tax and the more the oil companies charge the more the Government rake in. How UN-AUSTRALIAN.
February 6th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Fuel prices in Nelson Bay today at the BP Garage Salamander is quoted as follows:
E10 $132.9
ULP $140.9
PULP $147.9.
We are at the end of a pipleine, one road in, one road out and a holdiay destination to boot, no competition between BP, Caltex and Shell they all quote the same prices, raise prices and lower prices (?) at the same time. We are in the unfortunate position that our cheapest independant was recently subjected to a fire which again reduced any available competition.
The price disparity between here and Newcastle is in the vicinity of up to 10 cewnts per litre. Main highway prices on the Pacific up as far as Taree recently were at least 6 cents per litre lower in price difference. I hope to God that something is done in the near future to stop the rip-off by the fuel companies.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
We should all brace ourselves for big increases in fuel prices in the second half of 2010, due to China bolstering its STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE by about 50%.
It is a little-known issue that when China increases its demand for oil to increase its SPR, it has a global effect on the price of oil.
And, there’s nothing that can be done about it; its just the law of supply and demand in play.
Merry Christmas – hope you don’t have to drive too far!