High prices fuel frustration

Parkes motorists are paying 20-50 cents more per litre for unleaded petrol than any other town nearby, making it one of the most expensive towns in the state to purchase fuel. Even after the Albanese Government extended fuel excise relief for another month into July to make petrol and diesel 16 cents per litre cheaper than normal prices, locals are not seeing it at the pump. The town's unleaded fuel prices have been considerably higher than surrounding areas and regional centres for weeks now, those filling up here paying 205.9 or 207.9 cents per litre for E10 and unleaded 91 petrol this week, according to the FuelCheck website, three of the four service stations in town charging the latter. And 225.9-226.9 cents per litre for premium unleaded. These prices were 37 cents per litre above the NSW average on Tuesday, according to FuelCheck. When prices were compared to those in Forbes, Peak Hill, Tomingley, Cowra, Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst on Tuesday afternoon, Orange, Dubbo and Tomingley were the cheapest for E10 or unleaded 91 with their lowest prices at 160.9 and 163.5 respectively. Peak Hill was either 165.5 or 185.9, Forbes' cheapest prices were between 175 and 191.9 cents, while Cowra's dearest price was just 184.9 cents and Bathurst's prices range between 164.5 cents and 197.9. Some prices in other towns have slightly increased in the last 24 hours. The difference in prices were even greater last week with all the above towns several cents less per litre and Parkes a couple of cents higher. Although premium unleaded prices were beginning to shift on Tuesday afternoon, closing a bit of the gap between Parkes, some prices were still 16-50 cents cheaper in all nearby towns. Peak Hill's cheapest price was 36 cents less than Parkes and not one fuel station in Dubbo or Orange had surpassed $2 for premium unleaded. The price of oil has risen dramatically though over the past 48 hours, according to media reports, following heightened tensions in the Middle East which could lead to a jump in prices for everyone. Forbes was beginning to see increases to its E10 or unleaded 91 prices on Tuesday. NRMA's head of media Peter Khoury said when comparing averages of unleaded fuel prices across the state, Parkes came in at the fourth highest in NSW on Tuesday. "Unfortunately Parkes is consistently one of the more expensive towns in NSW," he said. "One of the challenges is that every single town is its own market, and that becomes problematic because for people living in Parkes they're rightly asking why they're paying 15 cents a litre more than Forbes which is just down the road." Mr Khoury said not having much competition within Parkes itself could be the reason why prices are so high. "Service stations will change their prices on a regular basis, depending on what their plan is... Some are still passing on the increase of the excise, others will compete on price, some don't," he said. "The challenges you've got with places like Parkes, which is consistently more expensive, always are, is there enough competition in the town? Is there enough independents that are putting downward pressure on pricing? And when there's not we end up getting these prices." Many are resorting to and encouraging others to fill-up in other towns they're visiting or passing through rather than being stung at the bowser when they return home. And that's the advice as well from Mr Khoury and the NRMA. "If you're heading out of Parkes get on the NRMA app or the government FuelCheck website, because if you are on the road and you live in Parkes, you're almost certainly going to go somewhere cheaper than where you are," he said. "We know people will travel for work, kids go to school in another town or the school holidays... You don't want to be filling up over $2 a litre when you don't have to." Diesel prices in Parkes are also cheaper than unleaded petrol, an interesting flip compared to where the country was a few months ago when prices skyrocketed and the fuel was in high demand. The town's service stations were charging 203 cents per litre on Tuesday on FuelCheck, on Monday prices were between 196.5-199.9 cents. The NSW average on Tuesday was 196.3 cents. Diesel prices in some other areas are quite cheaper than Parkes as well, while a few are dearer. Peak Hill and Tomingley were significantly cheaper on Tuesday at 169.5 cents and 179.5 cents. "Diesel, which is really important as well, it's not as expensive," Mr Khoury said. "And it's quite odd that the diesel average price would be the same as [or close to] the unleaded price given that we know diesel has been more expensive since this war began."