June 10, 2008

“Motorists facing paying $1.70 a litre shouldn’t expect any help from this quarter,” Mr Hartsuyker said.  “They’re not going to listen to this plea from the Prime Minister, particularly as he’s out of step with the Group of Eight major industrial nations who are concentrating instead on improving fuel efficiency.  Having led the voters during the election campaign to believe he was going to reduce petrol prices, it’s another sign of his desperation on the issue.

“He’s desperately clinging to his controversial FuelWatch scheme when there is no evidence that it will reduce prices and, in fact, is likely to drive them up.  He’s desperately clinging to his Petrol Commissioner who couldn’t even answer a simple question about petrol price cycles in Senate Estimates.  Meanwhile, while everyone facing rising living costs is desperately waiting for him to do something, he’s referred the possibility of a tax cut on fuel to a taxation review that won’t report for 18 months.

“Having run out of useless ideas on the domestic front, he’s now casting around overseas.  It’s an exercise in futility and yet more empty rhetoric.  Kevin Rudd should adopt the Coalition policy of an immediate cut of 5c a litre in excise to help hard-pressed Australians.”