Fuel supply/ shortages

DMaxer · Guru

RE: Fuel supply/ shortages

rmoor · Guru

So if we have 82 ships coming, 5 missing and 3 added, then why do our fuel prices continue to increase?

Ineedabiggerboat · Senior Member

Re cigarettes black market. It puzzles me why such a bulky item can get through our borders undetected. Others will understand this process better but a mate told me that the containers they come in cant go by road because of their size. They are moved to Botany then go out by rail and are not inspected or xrayd.

rmoor · Guru

Re: Cigarettes.

I am mystified why all the dodgy little shops that sell them remain open?
Too easy for a secret shopper to buy some surely?

Why when detected selling them is the worst they can do is suspend them from trading for six weeks.
What happened to "life" bans for Federal Government duty thieves???

The taxes on cigarettes are HUGE, why then has this been going undetected at all levels for so long?

Fuel, cigarettes, ripping off the poor old customer and taxpayers for duty seems to be the norm?

DMaxer · Guru

Our fuel prices were regulated up until 1998. Up until that time the Federal Government could regulate prices because we refined most of our own crude. At that time, that cerebral giant little Johnny deregulated our prices and so we then paid parity with the Singapore price, which in turn is driven by supply and demand and our dollar vis a vis the American dollar. Not satisfied with that, those economic masterminds also withdrew the subsidies for our refineries resulting in all but two closing. They, in their infinite wisdom, thought it was better to export our crude and then buy it back at global market rates. You know, the same clown that sold our gold reserves and failed to impose tax on multinational miners.

Plain Truth · Guru

So why didn't Rudd the Dud reverse the situation when he beat cerebral giant Little Johnny?

-- Edited by Plain Truth on Friday 27th of March 2026 06:03:10 PM

Are We Lost · Guru

As Plain Truth said.

And multiple leaders from both sides of the fence could have reveresed the decisiion as well, but they did not. To avoid this becoming too political I will just respond with the main pushes that led up to deregulation and when.

With the help of AI ...

The first major push was in 1988 with the Trade Practices - Study into Regulation in the Petroleum Industry 1988. It recommended deregulation. Then there were multiple Price Surveillance Studies, culminating in the ...

Industry Commission - Petroleum Products report 1994. The download link to the full pdf is on that page.

I confess to not having read the entire 328 pages, but the 12 recommendations are on page XLII (page 42 of the Overview). The first two recommendations are:

Terminate price surveillance for petroleum products

Refrain from regulation petroleum prices.

So DMaxer, perhaps you should give a similar vitriolic comment for those who were in power then.

BarneyBDB · Senior Member

The people that pay for a study / report get the result they paid for ....

DMaxer · Guru

Of course they looked at deregulation but chose not to. The deregulation was not the problem, closing the refineries shifted us from being mostly self reliant to depending on overseas supply. Once you no longer control the production and the supply, it is a bit difficult to regulate the price. You are stuck with market parity or alternatively, no supply.

As for Rudd and co, they brought in a tax on mining companies however when that onion eater and his stooges were voted in they abolished that quick smart and then danced furiously to their mining bosses tunes. Look at today, Gina owns the town drunk and the range.

-- Edited by DMaxer on Saturday 28th of March 2026 09:01:35 AM

rmoor · Guru

That mining tax was brainless.

I read the flowchart on that, it was like a huge Snakes and Ladders board.
It would have puzzled Albert Einstein.

Wonder what the long term plan for fuel, storage etc in Australia will be now.
No change one would imagine looking at the form guide so far of those in charge.
This fuel shortage has highlighted the shortcomings on our reliance on fuel.

It has indicated how weak and brittle our system is and how it can affect agriculture, shop shelves etc.
It is weird how formerly industrious Australia is now a weak consumer.
I went to buy some pickled cucumbers recently.
Six brands at Woolies in jars.
Five were from India and one from Australia.
We can't even buy Aussie cucumbers in Australia anymore!!! Ridiculous!!!
Having now put ourselves in this position, those prices will increase for good if fuel becomes scarce and we rely on things that grow wild in my back paddock to be imported.
Utter madness.

It also may not have even started yet, things could get significantly worse before they get better.

I feel sorry for those with a mortgage, a few hungry kids and commute long distances to work.
They will soon not even be able to afford sausages, or imported cucumbers......

dogbox · Guru

no point un complaining about the situation goverments of both idealologies have had ample oportunities and had chances to adress the problem that every one could see coming

DMaxer · Guru

I don't really see the need for doom and gloom. We are a very rich and prosperous country and we collectively have probably been living beyond our means for some time We have probably one of the best standards of living in the world and geographically, we are positioned away from the areas that have seen conflict after conflict for centuries,

The worst thing that will happen if this ridiculous war continues is that we will be experiencing a fair amount of pain around the wallet for some time

.My parents and grandparents told me about what life was like during the depressions and the World Wars, It was tough in Australia but nothing like what happened overseas.

One good thing that comes out of these times is that it gives both the country and the person a chance to have a reset. One reassesses what is actually important in life and the difference in what one wants and what one needs. No one needs to eat imported foods. It is a matter of choice. When I do I know that it has given some poor bugger overseas a job and a quid and if it really did concern me then I would either not bother or grow it myself. It is not a big deal. I am just glad we as a country we had the brains to stay right out of these two blokes' war. Imagine going to war without being backed by congress, just one bloke making the decision.

On a brighter note, a few good things generally happen when things go a bit pear shaped fuel wise. I travel about ten months of the year and found that when I go to places that are in season and popular I get hit with inflated prices, some pretty poor attitudes from accommodation suppliers and food outlets and sometimes a bit of hostility from locals who enjoy nomads' money but not their physical presence. Perhaps phrases such as "that's the rate mate, take it our leave it" or "have you got a booking mate" will soon be replaced with "we have a special deal" or " welcome, where would you like to sit, plenty of room.". I noticed that a few years back when the bum fell out of mining in a few areas, totally different attitude to travellers then.

I usually plan a bit of a loose budget, how much for fuel and accommodation, food and beer etc. Now, if fuel is double then I will just take twice as long to get there, free camp a bit more and then find the accommodation and service will be cheaper and better.

I have total confidence in our elected officials. they are well briefed by both public and private sector experts. They have got us through wars, a depression and the global financial crisis. Deliveries are now being underwritten so we will keep getting fuel, just going to cost more for a while if he want to maintain our current lifestyle.

Happy days.

-- Edited by DMaxer on Saturday 28th of March 2026 10:39:20 AM

Ineedabiggerboat · Senior Member

You have total confidence in our elected officials. Wow.

Whenarewethere · Guru

DMaxer wrote:
My parents and grandparents told me about what life was like during the depressions and the World Wars, It was tough in Australia but , just going to cost more for a while if he want to maintain our current lifestyle.

My Dad worked for DeHavilland, bombing Germany etc. My uncle was a test fighter pilot in WWII, the kindest of people, our close families got on so well, included his twin sister's death in England which my sister & myself were there for. Also for his funeral in Tasmania. I was there for a month to help my Aunt.

(back tracking somewhat) Many decades later I married a German girl.

What everyone went through, surviving hardship, we simply can't fathom on any level. Even more so my wife's side of the family & extended family in Germany. My wife's father was a prisoner of war in France for years, he was an interpreter during the war.

My Mum's father fought in WWI & WWII, & survived. He was the kindest of people. I am sure he would have accepted my German wife as the closed of family members.

My dad had an interesting saying, 'If you didn't hear the bomb go off you knew you were dead'

AU>$3.00 per litre in Germany & UK, I was there for 3 months December to February... Get over the prices in Australia.

P.S. Many decades ago I was listening & taking onboard life during WWII in Australia of another relatives. If you think Covid restrictions were tough, you will simply not cope with any serious form of restrictions & cost of living whether monetary or actual elbow grease.