Petrol prices in rural areas hit an all-time high earlier this year, and it seems they won’t be going down anytime soon with an expected price rise to come in the next few weeks.
Goulburn local Emily Corby spends much of her week travelling between Marulan and Goulburn on top of her commute to work.
“By the end of the week, I’ve already got an empty tank and an overwhelming feeling of stress from all of it, the prices are just becoming unrealistic for working class locals like myself,” Miss Corby said.
With fuel prices continuously rising, people are trying everything they can to decrease their expenditures to make ends meet. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recommends all drivers and travellers use online tools such as PetrolSpy and MotorMouth to find the cheapest fuel prices in their area.
“In the current economic climate, finding savings is important to many motorists. Using apps and websites to choose where and when to fill up can help consumers save money,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
According to ACCC data, regional locations typically have higher fuel costs than city locations due to the higher storage and transportation costs, longer fuel travel distances, lower demand, and the location of service stations.
Katrina Ward, from the Aboriginal Medical Service in Brewarrina, North-Western NSW, told the ABC back in 2022 that the price of fuel was worsening the disadvantage experienced by rural residents, especially low-income earners and pensioners.
“This is going to impact our community members quite severely because already most of them, unfortunately, have a low socio-economic status and are on pensions,” Miss Ward said.
Two years later local communities are still dealing with the same issues. With fuel prices not decreasing, rural Australians remain concerned about how to cope with the ongoing cost of living crisis.
