| Legislation significantly increasing the penalties for petrol stations that fail to comply with South Australia’s real-time fuel monitoring scheme has passed State Parliament. Under the scheme, service stations are required to update any price or availability changes within 30 minutes to a central database, to ensure real-time price monitoring apps have accurate, up-to-date information. The Fair Trading (Fuel Pricing Information Penalties) Amendment Bill significantly increases penalties for petrol stations who fail to comply, with the maximum court-imposed penalty doubled from $10,000 to $20,000 and expiation notices for breaches boosted from $550 to $5,000. The passing of the legislation coincides with a blitz underway this week by the state’s consumer watchdog, checking service stations are complying with the scheme ahead of the long weekend. More than 200 inspections are being carried out by inspectors from Consumer and Business Services across metropolitan and regional areas – including suburban Adelaide, the West Coast, Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, the Riverland and the Limestone Coast. Drivers can then access free fuel price information via fuel price apps including the RAA app, which has both pricing and availability, as well as apps such as Petrol Spy, Motor Mouth, SA Bowser: Should I Fuel? and ServoTrack, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. The RAA estimates a typical SA driver using real-time fuel pricing is likely to save around $117 a year, based on typical fuel consumption, resulting in an annual total savings of approximately $58 million across the state. To report a service station believed to be in breach, or download a real-time price monitoring app, visit https://cbs.sa.gov.au/campaigns/find-the-cheapest-fuel Michael Brown MP Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs said, “The Malinauskas Government has delivered on our election commitment to introduce significantly tougher penalties for petrol stations that fail to comply with our real-time price monitoring.“ “Along with doubling the number of compliance officers, the increased penalties will ensure motorists are not being ripped off at the bowser.” “There’s no excuse – petrol stations that fail to comply will face the consequences which now includes penalties up to $20,000.“ |
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Categories: COOBER PEDY News & Events, FAR NORTH News & Events, GENERAL News
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