Real-Time Fuel Pricing

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:10): My question is again to the Attorney-General. What processes are in place to ensure retailer compliance now your 30-minute real-time fuel pricing app is live, and how will your government ensure prices listed on the app are the same as the prices displayed on the pump? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms BEDFORD: Australian fuel prices, particularly here in South Australia, are volatile and change frequently, often several times a day, unlike in Western Australia, which has an assured 24-hour daily price. What are the government's processes for confirming any price discrepancy, and how will it be determined which expiation or penalty you will impose?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Local Government) (15:11): Firstly, in relation to the monitoring, there is the invitation by CBS for the community to be involved and, as I indicated, to be able to report inaccurate fuel prices through their website. Secondly, as I just indicated in the previous answer, they have a rollout of their own spot checks that they are undertaking. Thirdly, they have inspectors already on the road undertaking that work.

In relation to the model that was referred to in Western Australia, we dealt with that in the debate. Whilst they have a fixed 24-hour system, of course they have a fixed high price, if in fact there is an opportunity to reduce it. I think we debated that and the parliament determined that we would go to the model that is currently being applied. In relation to the volatility of prices, I think we will always have that.

What this whole program does, member for Florey, is enable the consumer to choose—whether it is on their next street, whether it is on their way to pick up their children from school, whether it is on a visit to a country town—the cheapest possible price for them to keep to their household budget as best they can. I am not sure whether the member for Florey is exasperated by that response, but I just want to reassure her that it is very important for the government that we offer this issue as a reduction-of-cost measure for households and we are committed to it.

I am satisfied, in discussing it with Mr Soulio throughout this process—he was of course involved in the supervision of the tender, the contract in the obligation for retailers, having them sign up, and he is satisfied in that regard—and in his program of inspectors in relation to the monitoring of this. Should the community want to help, they are welcome to make a contribution in that regard, and we have given them access via the website to be able to do that.