‘The message is clear – don’t take Aussies for Mugs’
Fuel pump (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
Home heating, petrol and diesel prices are continuing to soar across Ireland, up to over €850 for 500 litres of heating oil and €2.08 for a litre of diesel on some forecourts – as the Irish Government and our consumer watchdog ‘monitors’ the situation.
In Australia, their Government is taking a more proactive approach, doubling the maximum fines for individual companies found to be illegally profiteering or price-gouging to an eye-watering $100m Aussie dollars or around €62m in Europs. It’s being called the ‘Nuclear Option’ and is a clear warning to retailers and suppliers who could be put out of business if they cross the line.
Australia’s Finance Minister – or Treasurer – Jim Chalmers has issued a stark warning all the way from the big corporations down to service stations, saying the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) was watching as the crisis in the Middle East continues to escalate.
The price of a litre of diesel for Aussie motorists has gone up to €1.40 on average – still far short of what Irish motorists are paying but enough to trigger dire warnings from their Government.
“The message from the Albanese Labor government is really clear to the petrol retailers. Don’t take motorists for a ride. Don’t treat Australians like mugs,” said Treasurer Chalmers last night.
“Do not use this opportunity of what’s happening in the Middle East to do the wrong thing by people.”
As well as doubling the fines – consumer watchdog officers will be out across Australia – visiting petrol stations and monitoring prices charged by energy and fuel providers.
Here in Ireland, motorists have been advised to ‘slow down or avoid uncessary journeys’ as Donald Trump’s war on Iran continues to rattle international markets and threaten an energy shock on a level not seen since the oil crises of the early 1970s.