Excise cut softens blow for Easter road trippers
Record-high fuel prices have not translated into a frenzy of Easter holiday booking cancellations at holiday parks and resorts, a leading tourism operator says.
NRMA, which owns around 50 holiday parks and resorts, said there had been only a slight decline in bookings.
“There have been some cancellations but not at the levels initially feared,” association spokesman Peter Khoury told AAP.
“This is to be expected due to record fuel prices.”
A survey carried out by the motoring group in March found that nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of drivers were combining trips to make their fuel tank last longer.
More than 40 percent of those surveyed were also cutting back returns to driving by 10 to 30 percent.
Mr. Khoury said cautious consumer confidence was supported by the federal government reassuring the public about its supply strategy.
“There has been more certainty about supply, lowering consumption tax may have encouraged people to get into cars, and people have started to regulate their behaviour,” he said.
NSW Transport chief executive Rob Austin said the Easter holidays were traditionally one of the busiest times despite cost of living concerns.
“We know Easter journeys may look a little different for many people this year, but we still expect lots of extra vehicles, particularly on the main corridors to the regions,” he said.
Western Sydney University academic Amanda Craft said increases in fuel prices around long weekends reflected both predictable demand cycles and behavioral responses.
“Research on panic buying shows that when drivers anticipate shortages or price increases, they tend to fill up earlier and more frequently,” he explained.
“This could disrupt holiday travel at borders as some drivers face limited availability or are forced to detour – although the wider system is not actually facing fuel shortages at this stage.”
There were 182 diesel-free and 48 unleaded petrol service stations in NSW.
In Victoria, 76 service stations were out of diesel, while in Queensland, 75 stations were out of diesel.
“Most of the shortages we’re seeing are in diesel,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Friday.
“Refiners and oil companies are working hard to replenish these stocks over the Easter holidays.”
Mr Bowen asked Australians planning a road trip over the Easter holiday to stock up in advance to help more fuel-starved regional and rural areas.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday that motorists will get a further 5.7 cents per liter off fuel by June 30 as part of a deal between the federal and state governments to waive some of their GST revenue.
The move follows a cut in the fuel tax, reducing wholesale gasoline and diesel costs by about 26 cents per litre, for a total of 32 cents.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
