Rudd attacks on petrol pricing

The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd went on the attack over petrol prices today, declaring that his government” National Fuel Watch bill would be introduced into parliament “in a few hours.”

He was speaking to reporters in Canberra, just before the start of question time, at which the opposition is expected to quiz the government closely on aspects of the controversial bill.

But Rudd was firm.

“The debate is simple,” he said.

“Whether Australian motorists should have the same information (about prices) as oil companies.

“We say they should.

“The opposition says they should not,” he said.

Under the bill, service stations would be obliged to hold their prices, at advertised levels, for 24 hours.

The government has been severely embarrassed by two leaks of confidential information, over the bill.

The first revealed that its Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, opposed the bill.

The second exposed the fact that four government departments, including the Federal Treasury, also advised the government not to proceed with it.

However, Rudd quoted the Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Graeme Samuel, who has supported the bill.

Samuel said the West Australian Fuel Watch scheme, which the Federal government is copying, had produced “statistically significant” cuts in petrol prices, in that state.