Real-Time Fuel Pricing

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:05): My question is to the Attorney-General. How will the government determine if South Australian motorists have saved money following the introduction of its 30-minute real-time petrol pricing reporting system and app? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms BEDFORD: The government response to the Productivity Commission report into fuel pricing stated, and I quote:

No policy of fuel price monitoring will have its [that's the government's] support if it is found it tended to increase fuel prices.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Local Government) (15:06): I thank the member for her question. In fact, I have quite a lot of comprehensive information about this, so I really do thank her for that. I was hoping to make sure that she was kept full bottle on this because I know it's an area of interest to her and she has contributed to the development of the legislation to introduce the mandatory disclosure of material by the retailer.

Yes, all the app providers are now able to access, through informed sources, the data of the mandatory disclosure within 30 minutes of all fuel prices and all change of fuel prices in the state. As we are coming into Easter, obviously that is particularly critical, and I am sure people even today are searching for the cheapest petrol price.

As the member will recall perhaps more than others, there's a $3 million to $8 million potential saving, according to the Productivity Commission, in relation to the introduction of a model that enables the consumer to choose the cheapest price. This new aggregation of data model enables all the app operators—and there are a number of them that are already out there and now even more are lining up—to access this data and provide this service.

The most recent was the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA). They have now launched their app. I think they had about 80,000 followers before, and when we announced it they had another 16,000 followers that weekend. They are out there and there are a number of different agencies that are available. They include Fuel Map Australia, MotorMouth, Pumped, the RAA, which I have referred to, Petrol Spy and other companies that are planning to release.

I urge everyone to ensure that, at the very least, their constituents are aware of the opportunity to keep this very significant part of a family and household budget, a cost of living, to enable them to be able to secure the cheapest possible price. It's available for the 91 or 98 rating, which I think is the super model for unleaded fuel. That is also an important option that is available. It's out there and it's working.

I am also advised by the Commissioner for Consumer and Business Services, Mr Soulio, that they are satisfied that the retailers are doing the right thing, but he reminded me to remind us here in the parliament of the significance of being able to report inaccurate fuel prices or report any petrol stations—that is available on the CBS website—for them to be able to further their spot checks and follow up any complaints.

But the two-year trial, which the member is well aware of and which is to operate here, will clearly need to be assessed to see whether there has been any demonstrable benefit in a cost saving overall to the consumers, which has been estimated by the Productivity Commission. I absolutely can stand by the fact that, if we have, firstly, a positive response to that, then it would be an indicator of a continuation of this model, but there is a change of technology in this area almost on a daily basis.

As the member knows, and I have advised her before, if there is an improved model or there is an opportunity for us to update the aggregate data mandatory reporting system that we've got, then clearly we will look at it at the end of the two-year trial.