Site-specific fuel prices will no longer be available via the website of the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) after a deal was struck between the ACCC and the fuel industry.
The deal means that the RAA will only be able to provide a daily average price for fuel in Adelaide, which RAA Senior Manager Mobility & Automotive Policy Mark Borlace said was significantly inferior information to what motorists can currently access on the RAA website.
“At the moment we receive site-specific fuel prices for Adelaide twice a day, and we share that information with motorists via our website,” Mr Borlace said.
“We also use the data to monitor price trends day-to-day, which allows us to notify motorists when a price spike is imminent, just as we did this week when prices spiked to 27cpl.”
Mr Borlace called on the state Government to take action to improve the transparency of petrol prices.
“In reality, most motorists will be left in the dark when it comes to fuel prices due to the ACCC’s agreement with the fuel industry,” he said.
“Earlier this year, New South Wales introduced legislation that compels every fuel retailer to report their fuel prices in real-time to a government agency who provides this to the public free of charge without any restrictions. Not only would an initiative like this allow motorists to find the cheapest prices, it also means we could continue to scrutinise the fuel industry and enhance competition amongst retailers who have to compete with a good price to attract customers.”
