Tasmanians will be shocked with the response from the Federal Government to my question in Parliament today, in which I called on the Government to act and give the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission the power to rein in the fuel companies.
The Government’s response, in essence that the ACCC is on the job and that consumers just need to shop around, was misleading, condescending and another deep betrayal of Tasmania and Tasmanians.
The Government knows that higher freight costs and little competition don’t explain why Tasmanians are paying so much more for their fuel. They also know that what price reductions there have been in Tasmania in recent times have nothing to do with the ACCC and everything to do with the global crash in oil prices. To suggest otherwise is to treat consumers like mugs.
Frankly the Federal Government is running a protection racket for the oil companies, and I’m sure I speak for a great many Tasmanians when I say that I’m disgusted.