Anyone in Australia who doesn’t think the petrol industry is riddled with price fixing and collusion between the major players?
Today, petrol here is 146.9 cents per litre (*). This morning is was 10 cents cheaper. What a coincidence that this weekend is a long holiday weekend, and also the start of ski season just down the road from Canberra. What a coincidence indeed that this happens every public holiday, every school holidays, in fact every time people are likely to be doing more travelling than usual. Truly bizarre coincidence!
Yet that is exactly what the petrol companies tell us is the case. They don’t collude or fix prices in any way. Sure, they do, just not in any way that leaves evidence. And even if there was evidence, I think the various governments in Australia, and regulators, aren’t that interested in finding it.
Maybe they don’t collude, but I heard a guy from the service station association talking on the radio this morning and he was saying the petrol companies all subscribe to an electronic monitoring service which gives them real time indications of price movements across the major metropolitan areas. He also said something along the lines of the petrol companies employing spotters who drove around taking note of their competitors prices. He suggested that any price movement was well and truly known within about 10 minutes of happening, and competitors then made decisions about whether to match it or not. Guess what usually happens?
Of course, collusion is no longer really necessary, as all companies know how the game is played and its all done with a wink and a nod, no traces left.
(*) For those in the US, this is approx $US 4.15 per gallon (so we’re quite a bit higher than your average at the moment of $US 2.76). If you’re in the UK, try 60p/litre.
Technorati Tags: petrol prices, gas, ripoff, price fixing, collusion
Tell me about it. I drive an old commy – I love it to pieces, but 13L/100km on a student wage? Paying THAT for petrol? I just try not to think about it…
Happens in New Zealand, too. You’d think the government anti-trust authorities would have some balls, but evidently not, on either side of the Tasman Sea. The good thing was we were spared a price rise for the long weekend last week.
ffs… don’t get me started on petrol prices. I filled my car up yesterday and it wasn’t even empty and still cost me $93 and that was only $132.9/litre.
Hopefully it will last till next pay day.
Guess we don’t really need to eat this week.
Gggrrrrrrrr
Funny this is, it was 139.9/L at Belco at 12:30. At 13:10, it was 131.2/L at Hume. Guess where I filled up? Farking hell!
Peter Costello knows damm well how the price of fuel is hurting ‘ordinary’ aussies, response: fuck the ordinary people!!!, fuel companies are lining every pocket of liberal govt that wants to play the game with the big fuel companies.
The libs are just sluts to the big fuel companies, like whores to millions.
p.s. Alexander Downer is the ugliest and silver spooned gay cat foreign minister on earth.
downer visits ‘Indonesia”
these pricks just laugh at him and nod!