Diesel remains volatile as prices rise again despite Labor’s fuel tax relief | Petrol prices
Diesel users in Australia do not experience the same relief as unleaded customers; One in 30 service stations is still out of diesel and prices are rising again after an initial drop last week.
But Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the government was willing to support the development of biofuels such as biodiesel from fats and vegetable oils, as he urged Australians not to join the social media trend claiming people are filling their fuel tanks with cooking oil.
The minister said 3.4% of service stations in Australia had zero diesel available as of Monday. This includes 142 of 2,400 sites in New South Wales, 51 of 1,700 sites in Victoria and 38 service stations in Queensland.
The number of service stations without at least one type of fuel fell from 800 to less than 600 in the week to Monday, according to Guardian Australia’s analysis of state government data.
Meanwhile, diesel wholesale prices fell by about 20 cents a liter on Wednesday alone, but rose by about 10 cents over the following five days, as global fuel costs continue to rise, according to Australian Petroleum Institute data.
Gasoline prices fell by about 32 cents per liter in the capitals from the week to Monday as retailers offered tax breaks as the Albanian government lowered fuel excise tax and provincial governments agreed to refund GST on gasoline sales.
According to MotorMouth, unleaded fuel was selling for an average of 226 cents per liter in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart. Adelaide’s unleaded prices fell 35.4 cents to an average of 224.1 ca litres; That’s significantly more than the 32-cent fuel tax cuts from state and federal governments.
After getting through the busy Easter travel period without a fresh disruption to supplies, the government said work was continuing to secure new fuel shipments; This includes prime minister Anthony Albanese’s direct contacts with international counterparts.
“We continue to see no ships contracted for Australia canceled, extra orders being delivered and we now have security of supply into April and now into May,” Bowen said on Monday.
Guardian Australia understands the government is trying to secure extra shipments using new powers to fund fuel and fertilizer purchases.
Reference West Texas Intermediate price of crude oil It surpassed US$115 before settling above US$111 On Monday, after Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants in a post on Truth Social.
As Iran’s Tuesday evening deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz approached, Trump wrote: “Open the damn Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to God.”
Albanian government ministers refused to comment on Trump’s latest outburst but Bowen said Australia wanted to see an end to the war.
“The government will continue to work with industry to ensure the security of fuel supplies as best as possible in these challenging international circumstances. The Prime Minister is of course talking to his counterparts. I am talking to my counterparts. Foreign Minister Wong is talking to his,” Bowen said.
“We are very pleased with the response we have received, particularly from our south-east Asian partners, who recognize their role as reliable energy suppliers for Australia when it comes to our liquid fuels. And of course, those discussions, particularly between the prime minister and his counterparts, will continue throughout this week.”
Recently, some social media users have posted videos online claiming to produce their own form of biodiesel from cooking oil as an alternative to paying rising diesel prices. Experts warn against potentially dangerous tactic.
Asked about the trend, Bowen also called for caution.
“Well, I wouldn’t advise people to make their own arrangements for their cars. I think you should just do what your car manufacturer recommends,” he said.
However, the minister also said that the government has invested $1.1 billion in the development of biofuels that can be obtained from animal fats, vegetable or edible oils. Biodiesel “has a great future in my view”, he said, adding that the concept “could not only reduce emissions but also create a lot of economic activity for Australian farmers”.
Guardian Australia has revealed that the government is considering increasing the supply of ethanol in the country’s fuel mix.
