Record high fuel prices continue to compound cost of living struggles

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The NRMA says Australian drivers have been paying record-high prices for fuel this year, and it is starting to take a toll on families already struggling with the rising cost of living.

Transcript

00:00 Jess: According to the NRMA, petrol prices in Australia have been consistently rising

00:09 and breaking numerous records for the past two years now.

00:14 And that's two years ago, the Ukraine-Russian war started, and that's had a prolonged impact

00:20 on oil prices internationally.

00:22 Now, just last month, Sydney recorded its highest ever daily average for regular unleaded

00:30 petrol, with an average of $2.23 a litre.

00:34 It's quite an alarming figure, and it's not isolated.

00:37 A lot of other capital cities last month saw big highs, daily averages.

00:42 You know, Brisbane, Adelaide, also Melbourne saw prices soar past $2.25 a litre.

00:50 And it's starting to impact people already struggling in the cost of living crisis.

00:56 I'm based in Newcastle, the biggest regional city in New South Wales, and I was keen to

01:01 get out, chat to people, see how they were feeling.

01:04 I spoke to a young apprentice, and he said that he got his licence just over a month

01:09 ago, but he hasn't yet been able to actually fill up his tank fully because he can't afford

01:15 it, and when he needs to fill up, it puts in about $10 to $15.

01:19 I also spoke to a woman out at Maitland, and she said she's a single mum, she's struggling

01:25 to afford fuel prices, and now she's turning to public transport.

01:29 Because analysis by the NRMA shows that the average Aussie household spends about more

01:36 than $100 a week on fuel, and that equates to about $5,500 a year.

01:41 But that's, of course, including metro and regional areas.

01:45 When you take out metro and look just at regional, that average tends to explode because regional

01:51 areas, they have less fuel stations to choose from, longer commutes, and also less public

01:56 transport options.

01:58 So they are really struggling in regional Australia, and especially here in regional

02:02 New South Wales, the people that I've spoken to.

02:04 But there are some tips to find cheaper fuel.

02:08 Now, when I'm driving around Newcastle, and a lot of consumers may have this experience

02:12 too, you can be diving down a street and you'll see a petrol station advertising one price,

02:17 and then 5Ks down the road, you see a completely other price.

02:21 And that's because in Australia, fuel prices aren't regulated, and petrol stations can

02:26 effectively charge whatever they like for the product.

02:28 So a way to make sure you're always going to the cheaper alternative is by using apps,

02:34 comparison apps.

02:35 It's what a lot of people that I spoke to said was a game changer in their life.

02:40 In New South Wales, there's the Fuel Check app, that's by the New South Wales government,

02:44 because it's a requirement for all petrol stations to upload their prices in real time.

02:49 And then you can jump on the app and actually see what prices are where, and where you should

02:53 go to find the cheapest fuel.

02:55 And the other tips include things like just filling up when and where you see cheaper

02:58 fuel, and also seeking out a range of different fuel discounts offered through supermarkets

03:03 and other retailers.

03:04 is.

03:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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