Page 2124 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 May 2013
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Nevertheless, the need to move away from fossil fuels is not a reason not to take simple and sensible steps to promote fair competition in the fuel market and ensure that consumers are able to make decisions based on accurate information.
The bill essentially applies the recently adopted reforms in New South Wales to ensure that petrol stations must display the fuel price that is available to all consumers and not the price available to consumers who have already shopped with the retailer and have a discount voucher. Further, they must display the prices clearly and they must display the price of diesel and LPG if they sell those fuels together with the two most popular fuels other than diesel and LPG.
This also helps to prevent the practice of petrol stations advertising the price of one particular fuel and encouraging consumers to think that the petrol station offers competitive fuel prices overall. The consumer is then stung with a higher price when they actually get to the bowser and fill up with a different type of fuel.
As newer cars need different grades of fuel and different fuel options are being offered it is important that an accurate price is advertised so consumers can make an informed decision whether or not to pull in.
To complement this, the bill also requires that service stations must advertise the correct octane rating of the fuels they offer for sale. This is already common practice but the bill will ensure that a consistent standard is applied.
This is a sensible and straightforward response to what has become an annoying and at times deceptive practice for consumers. The same requirement will be enforced in New South Wales from 1 September, which is the same commencement date proposed for the bill that I am putting forward today. There will be no additional burden imposed on any service station in the ACT that is not required of a service station in Queanbeyan. The new obligations are not onerous and there should not be any difficulty for retailers to comply.
Again, this is a simple and sensible reform. I understand from a media release issued by the Attorney-General last week that this issue is being considered at COAG. Given that New South Wales and South Australia have already taken action on this issue, there is no reason that we should be delaying our response for a COAG process when we have a clear option to deal with the issue that will make us consistent with surrounding New South Wales. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Corbell) adjourned to the next sitting.
Health, Ageing, Community and Social Services—Standing Committee
Statement by chair
DR BOURKE (Ginninderra), by leave: At a private meeting on 2 May 2013 the committee resolved to conduct an inquiry into ACT public service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment. The ACT public service—ACTPS—employment
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