Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Everyone knows there's a lot of pressure on people's finances right now, but some businesses in my electorate are adding to this pressure. And it's a disgrace. In Singleton, fuel companies are charging up to 55c more, per litre of petrol, compared to what they charge in other towns in my electorate. This is an absolute rort. Costs are high enough as it is. This is just pure, unjustifiable greed. The same fuel trucks that supply Singleton also supply the other towns where petrol is sold 55c cheaper.

When I speak to Singleton residents about this, they point out that the price spike is particularly around shift-change times in the mines. People are already working hard to earn money to pay their bills and look after their families. The last thing they need, after finishing a shift at work, is to get slugged by a multibillion-dollar fuel company when they fill up their car on their way home. It's a spit in the face for those doing it tough and working hard.

There are eight petrol stations in Singleton—more than enough stations to expect competition on prices. I have written to the ACCC asking them to stop this collusion.

I call on the businesses to do the right thing. Drop the prices. It's time to end this rort.

And to the people of the Hunter: don't forget that every taxpayer in the Hunter will get a tax cut in the near future. Labor wants us all to earn more and keep more of what we earn.

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