More
than 18 months after promising Tasmanians he would end the price agony at the
petrol bowser, Premier Peter Gutwein has not only broken that promise, he has
abandoned any effort to deliver hip pocket relief.
Motorists
in Hobart and throughout the state are now paying more for petrol than in any
other jurisdiction, with the average price per litre for unleaded fuel now at
$1.78.
That
compares to $1.51 in Melbourne, $1.51 in Brisbane, and $1.67 in Canberra.
Even
Darwin petrol prices – which are traditionally among the highest in the nation
due to freight costs – are well below Hobart’s at $1.69.*
Shadow
Consumer Affairs Minister Jen Butler said the fact that Mr Gutwein was prepared
to ignore this disparity and fail to deliver on his promise showed how
completely out of touch he was with the community’s serious concerns about the
rising cost of living.
“In
May last year Mr Gutwein was clear in his promise that if Tasmanian prices
continued to be out of step with the rest of the country, he would take further
action including potential price capping,” Ms Butler said.
“Petrol
prices are spiralling. Motorists and families are struggling. They have not
heard a peep from Mr Gutwein.
“In
fact the Liberal Government are so uncaring and ignorant of the fact that fuel
has become unaffordable to many families that eight weeks ago the Consumer
Affairs Minister Elise Archer ridiculously claimed that petrol prices were
headed in the right direction.
“This is at the
same time that our rental markets are the tightest in the nation, the
government is introducing new taxes including a waste tax and Tasmanians
continue to pay the highest electricity bills in the country.
“It’s abundantly clear that Mr Gutwein and Ms Archer are utterly, hopelessly out of touch as families struggle to pay the bills and they need to act.”
Jen Butler MP
Shadow Consumer Affairs Minister
