Many motorists looking to fill up this Easter long weekend are being forced to fork out up to four cents a litre more for their fuel because of a continual refusal by the major oil companies to make ethanol blended E10 more readily available, NSW Nationals Senator Fiona Nash said today.
Senator Nash said while many drivers are worried about being ripped off over the holiday period because of the expected traditional petrol price hike, those same drivers are being ripped off every single day by the greedy oil companies who are not making ethanol blends more readily available.
“There has been a lot of talk in the media about oil companies driving up petrol prices and ripping motorists off over the Easter weekend, but the reality is, the oil companies are doing it every single day of the year,” Senator Nash said.
“All year long, the oil companies are denying motorists a considerable saving, sometimes up to four cents a litre, by refusing to make ethanol blended unleaded fuels available at all service stations across the country.
“When you consider that 15,964.9 megalitres of unleaded fuel was sold in Australia in 2006 compared to just 151.6 megalitres of ethanol blended fuel it’s obvious that very few motorists benefited from the cheaper fuel option, particularly in rural and regional areas.
“Just last week, the biggest car companies in the US announced that in just five years, almost half of their new cars will have the capability to run on 85 per cent ethanol, yet here in Australia, drivers can’t even get access to 10 per cent blends.
“More than 12 months ago, the major oil companies undertook a commitment to participate in the Biofuels Action Plan, assuring the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister they would meet the Federal Coalition Government’s 350 million litre biofuels target by 2010.
“As part of this plan, the oil companies committed to meeting a volumetric target of between 89 and 124 million litres of biofuels by December last year. The oil companies came nowhere near this amount and what’s more, the majority of what was sold, was sold by the independent petrol outlets who aren’t even party to the Biofuels Action Plan.
“We have the chance to reduce our reliance on imported fuels; it’s time the oil companies in Australia join the rest of the world in embracing ethanol and its widespread benefits.”
As well as delivering cheaper fuel prices to motorists, Senator Nash said a home-grown ethanol industry would provide alternative markets for Australian farmers that would help to stimulate regional development, leading to job opportunities and significant economic growth, while addressing health concerns, which would benefit all Australians.
Media contact: Julie Siegert 0429 818 600
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