The Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, says an elected Liberal Nationals Government will immediately introduce legislation to run “a simple piece of digital technology” that could save Victorians as much as $800 in fuel costs every year.
Mr Walsh says the Liberal Nationals government in NSW has provided its residents with a fuel check app.
And he says it’s not like some other private fuel check apps which can direct people to higher petrol pricing.
Based on the NSW fuel check app, we will direct people to what is the lowest petrol pricing and save people hundreds of dollars every year.
“This app will be run by the government and legislation will mandate that all stations must update their data on the app at the same time as they put up changed prices on the boards at their stations,” Mr Walsh explains.
“That means Victorians will get price changes in real time, allowing them to access the best prices at stations near them,” he says.
“Based on the NSW experience with this app can save people up to $800 a year.
“This week’s reintroduction of the full excise levy on fuel puts another 22 cents per litre back on the cost of fuel at the bowser.
“That’s 22 cents per litre, for every litre – that is a big hit to people’s household budget, it’s a really big hit and it’s going to impact people quite dramatically. And we need to make sure fuel pricing and people have got the best information when they’ve got fuel pricing.”
Mr Walsh says it is fine to talk about cost of living initiatives in the year 2035, as the government’s doing right now, but petrol prices are about to go up right now and that’s going to impact people’s household budgets right now.
He says a Liberal Nationals government would do something about that right now.
“We will do that, and in the first 100 days of a change of government I’ll make sure the laws are changed so petrol pricing information is mandatory, it’s online, it’s there for all Victorians to see,” Mr Walsh added.
“And again, I say, this is needed at a time when cost of living pressures are going through the roof, I mean, we all know this, I know this, we all know this: petrol prices are going through the roof and they’re going to get higher,” he says.
“We need to do the stuff now that helps people, helps Victorians today, not just in 2035 but today, and that’s why this fuel price app, really successful in NSW, will, we are confident, be just as successful in Victoria.
“It’s going to help people’s bottom lines, it’s going to help their household budget, it’s going to save them a lot of money, and it’s such a sensible, low-cost plan to put in place – just $400,000 to put the app in place and just $1 million over four years to run it.
“I reckon it’s money well spent to help Victorians cut the cost of fuel prices as it starts to go up.”
