By: Nick Tyrrell
Liberal Senate candidate for the ACT Nick Tyrrell has welcomed the Coalition’s new Fuel Price Shield, an automatic safeguard that would halve fuel excise and zero out the heavy vehicle road user charge whenever global oil prices spike. He has also taken aim at Fenner MP Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Competition, for refusing to advocate on behalf of Canberra’s families on petrol prices.
The Fuel Price Shield would deliver around 27 cents a litre in relief, worth about $15 off a typical tank, for families and small businesses. The policy will help Canberran families and businesses, currently paying the highest prices of any capital city in the country.
“This is real, practical relief, exactly when Canberra families and small businesses need it. It takes the guesswork out of the next oil shock: when prices spike, the tax comes down automatically,” Mr Tyrrell said.
Mr Tyrrell said the announcement was also proof of who was actually prepared to act.
“I wrote to the ACCC a week ago about this ludicrous situation that has Canberra motorists paying more for petrol than Darwin,” said Mr Tyrrell.
“Meanwhile our very own Member for Fenner, the Assistant Minister responsible for the ACCC refused four times* on radio on Friday to say Canberra petrol prices deserve a closer look,” Mr Tyrrell said.
“Our team is out there acting: writing to the regulator, and now putting a genuine Shield in place for the next oil shock. Canberra’s own Labor politicians have been missing in action, seemingly unaware there is even a problem.”
“Andrew Leigh isn’t just a paper tiger, he’s worse than that, because a paper tiger at least looks like it might do something. He finds plenty of time to write books and speeches, but not a few lines to his own regulator on behalf of struggling Canberrans,” Mr Tyrrell said.
Mr Tyrrell said it was time Canberra’s Labor politicians had some guts and got behind real action on fuel prices for struggling families, instead of leaving it to the Coalition to act.
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