Canberrans told to direct anger at Trump over nation's most costly fuel - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
US President Donald Trump is being blamed for Canberra's high fuel prices. (ABC News/Supplied: AP: Evan Vucci)
Canberra is the most expensive capital city in the country for motorists to fill up their tanks.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr says anger over the costs should be directed at the US president, but the ACT opposition says there are problems closer to home.
The ACT Legislative Assembly will hold an inquiry into the capital's high fuel prices.
The ACT's chief minister says Canberrans should be "rightly angry" about high fuel prices in the territory but says that anger should first be aimed at United States President Donald Trump.
Canberra is currently the most expensive capital city in the country for both petrol and diesel.
The ACT Legislative Assembly has now supported a move to hold an inquiry into the capital's high fuel prices, with a particular focus on examining why ACT motorists pay more for fuel than people just over the border in New South Wales.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said there were several factors that resulted in the ACT's high fuel prices, including transport costs to get fuel from Sydney, a lack of retail competition and less fuel being sold due to a rise in hybrid and electric vehicles.
"Cars and trucks are more fuel efficient now than they were 25 years ago," Mr Barr said.
"All of the fixed infrastructure costs associated with a petrol and diesel distribution network are now being spread across fewer litres of sale."
However, Mr Barr said "international factors" were clearly to blame for the current cost increases for fuel.
Opposition leader Mark Parton, who initiated the call for the fuel price inquiry, said Mr Barr was "deflecting" by talking about the US President.
"Donald Trump has got nothing to do with that; he hasn't given some blessing to Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Goulburn and Braidwood."
Canberra Liberals leader Mark Parton has accused the ACT chief minister of "deflecting" when it comes to Canberra's high fuel costs. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
Mr Parton said he also "didn't buy" the argument around less fuel being sold in the ACT leading to high prices, instead blaming the "high cost of doing business" in the territory.
"It's not fair for regular people in Canberra that they have to pay this 'Canberra tax' whenever they go to the petrol bowser."
ACT Greens housing spokesperson Rebecca Vassarotti wants a portable rental-bond scheme. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
Cost-of-living relief dominated debate in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, with the ACT Greens moving a motion to call on the ACT government to set up a portable rental-bond scheme.
ACT Greens housing spokesperson Rebecca Vassarotti said the scheme would mean Canberra renters moving house would no longer have to find thousands of dollars while waiting for a previous bond to be returned.
"What we are really focused on is providing a mechanism to take a little bit of pressure off renters and ensuring that they are not having to front up extra thousands of dollars if they don't need to."
ACT Attorney-General Tara Cheyne says portable rental-bond schemes are costly. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
ACT Attorney-General Tara Cheyne said the government accepted it was a "real problem".
"We shouldn't decide the architecture of a scheme before understanding who it will help, who it may exclude, what risks it creates and what it will cost."
