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NT Consumer Affairs Commissioner Sandra Otto spoke to Katie Woolf about fuel prices on 360 · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We've been keeping a very close eye on the diesel
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: and unleaded prices, as you'll know, I just will take
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: you through very quickly at the terminal gate price in
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Darwin today.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: If you're unleaded, it's gone right down.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: So we're talking a dollar fifty six point three is
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: what the terminal gate price is in Darwin today compared
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: to Tuesday last week, when it was at a dollar
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: ninety one. Now at the Bowser, the fairest you're going
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: to find it is a dollar eighty eight. In some
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: places it's still up there at two dollars, so we're
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: talking about just about a fifty cent disparity there. I mean,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: it's a bit under, more like forty four cents, but
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: it's still a big, sort of a big gap. Now
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: joining me on the line right now is the Northern
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Territory Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, Sandy Otto. Good morning to you, Sandy.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. How are you?
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, really well, thank you so much for your time
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: this morning. Now, Sandy, I think these petrol prices are
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: just top of mind for everybody at the moment, and
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: a lot of people really wondering, well, when are we
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: going to see that EXCI sping passed down.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: I think, like you quite rightly said, the terminal gate
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: price is one of the best ways to see what's
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: happening with the fuel. And as you know, like you
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: said last Tuesday, it was dollard ninety one and out
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: because dollar fifty six, that price isn't automatically taken down
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: at the service station. The service stations are going to
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: wait till they clear their tanks and then they buy
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: the cheaper fuel in. So once that happens, you start
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: to see the fuel prices start to drop. And I know, yes,
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: is it Friday, yep, you can really see a big difference.
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: I think there was twelve cents difference in pricing around town,
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: and Palmerston was even cheaper at that stage. So the
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: best thing to do is keep it. I am the
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: terminal gate price, and once that starts to drop, you
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: know that incrementally the fuel stations around you know, Dale
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: and everywhere else, it's got to start dropping as well.
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: But it all depends on the fuel stage. If they've
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: got a hig volume of turnover, that price has going
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: to drop quicker. If you've got a service station that's
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: a bit out of the way, that price is going
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: to take longer before it drops and they have to
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: refill their takes.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: That was going to be my next question, Sandy, because
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: I know that we've had some listeners in contact with us,
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: who are I've got to tell you, I rate thinking
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: to themselves. You know, we've seen it go up and
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: down at the terminal gate over the last few weeks,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: but we really for a few weeks there didn't see
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: any movement then at the Bowser despite it sort of
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: going down. I guess every time it goes up, we
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: feel as though the price goes up for us when
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: we're at the Bowser, but when we see a drop,
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: we don't tend to see it quite so quickly.
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: No, And I think that's what a lot of people expect.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: They see the price start, you know, start to go down,
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: they hear it on the news, and they expect the
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: service stations to drop the price immediately, and that unfortunately
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: doesn't happen.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's and I guess that's where people start
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: to feel incredibly frustrated.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: Sandy, with the fuel excise.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: So is the cut to the actual terminal gate, you
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: know price, or is it to the bowser price.
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: I think it's a terminal gate price, and I don't
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: know if that's some of the pricing that we've seen
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: at the terminal gate and you know, consequently down through
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: the service stations. And I think the best thing to
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: do is just keep a bit of an eye on it.
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: I know the h will see had been tasked to
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: keep an eye on the fuel pricing and monitoring that.
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: And I would encourage anyone that goes to service station
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: and says that they pass on the pricing and they
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: don't think it is that could be considered misleading, and
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: I suggest those people talk to the hillc about that.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: But I do know that the hillc is keeping a
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: very very close eye on this.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, So when I suppose what will happen if
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: those retailers don't actually pass the prices down, that would be.
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: Matter for the hill Seed to keep an eye on.
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: And again, our Lord, the Churchmens your affairs, my fuel
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: anti at that's a really good way to make sure
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: that you buy the cheapest price around town. It's always
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: got the cheapest price at the top, therous went one
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: to the other bottom. Plan your trip and just make sure,
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: you know, continue to support those service stations that are
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: passing on the price comes.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: We've got a message from one of our listeners this
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: morning saying or wondering if they if they have to
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: wait for the fuel to run down, then why do
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: the prices all go up around the same time.
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: It could be a case where they do a fuel run.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: I can't really talk to that. It's I do know
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: that the price fluctuations do go according to the terminal
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: price gates. And again, all I can say is that
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: once those fuel tanks run down and they refill, that's
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: when the prices tend to change and they fluctuate a bit.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: And I think the other thing to remember too that
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: it actually costs the service stations more. I'm not standing
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: up form, but what I'm saying is that fuel prices
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: go up and the delivery for the fuel goes up
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: as well, and that price goes through everything out growthries
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: and everything like that. So that's something to can in
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: mind as well.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: So, Sandy, as the Commission of Full Consumer Affairs here
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory, is this something that you're keeping
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: quite a close eye on at the moment.
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: I'm giving a bit of an eye on it to
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: see how things are going up here, and I will
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: be in contact with the Hill see if I think
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: things are quite right up here. And I know as
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: well that darn is one of the places that they
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: report on each quarter as well.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: And do you know if there's going to be penalties
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: if we do end up finding that some fuel retailers
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: haven't done the right thing and haven't either we'll haven't
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: passed down at fuel excise in a timely manner.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: Is there going to be penalties for them?
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: That would be a matter for the Ahribac.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I will see what we can find out. But yeah, well,
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: I appreciate you having a chat with us this morning,
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: and good to know that you are certainly keeping a
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: bit of an eye on it as well, because I
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: think that a lot of Territorians are just sort of
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: wondering when we're going to see the prices go down
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: a bit. I know there's been a little bit of movement,
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: but certainly when you compare it to the terminal gate.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Price, and as you've said to us here, they've got
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: to wait.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: For those tanks to.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: Be used.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: But a lot of people keeping a really close eye
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: on things right now and hoping that we see some
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: change because it really hits us all at the hip pocket.
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: It certainly does. And if you're thinking about filling up,
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: just try and wait as long as you possibly can,
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: and just keep an eye on that on that terminal
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: gate price, keep an eye on now my fuel antier,
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: and just hold off as long as you can, because
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: I think those prizes will continue to drop.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Sandi Otto, We always appreciate your time. Thank you very
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: much for having a chat with me this morning.
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: Thank you Katie, thank you