Fuel Price Monitoring

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:42): My question is to the Attorney-General. What would be the cost of establishing a real-time fuel price application?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (14:42): There are various models, as the member is well aware, and I think I outlined a number of them on the last occasion, including the Western Australian model, which we have obtained some information on. The last I can recall, we don't have a model of the amount for the trial in Queensland. It was about $3 million, I think, when the Northern Territory proposal a year ago was put on the table. My recollection is that it's about $12 million a year for New South Wales. I will check those and get that information to you. These are over and above the app, which is currently available, of course, but which is not as real-time as we all want it to be.

The member might be interested in having some further information about an app that is being trialled in Victoria at present, which has had some recent publicity. We are also looking at the availability of that. For the benefit of members who didn't receive our response, the Western Australian model is one that simply allows for a freeze on the amount that is charged for a 24-hour period, as distinct from a real-time app, so there are different models. They are in the category of millions of dollars a year.

From our point of view, as we indicated, our commitment was to review these. We are doing that. Unfortunately, those that we thought might be useful haven't been, for the reasons I have explained. Queensland is nearing its first year of a two-year trial and we want to make sure, most importantly, that any app, whatever the cost is to implement it, is not going to create an increase in petrol prices.