Yarrawonga Mulwala Tourism and Business President Michael Coldham has asked if local motorists of Yarrawonga and Mulwala should boycott the local petrol stations so they may be made aware of how fed up residents have become.
“People who visit the Tourist Information Centre are always surprised at our prices,” Mr Coldham said.
“We have heard both in the centre as well as just in general conversation that both tourists and residents are complaining about how exorbitant it is here.
“The higher petrol prices are just adding to the cost for tourists. It is driving people out of town.
“We want to do something for the competition as that has been one of the main reasons the prices have remained so high for so long, there is no competition.
“We need someone who will provide competition that will come and stay. Maybe then we will see some changes.
“There are talks in the pipelines between a local developer and a well-known, reasonably priced service station who have the best pricing in Shepparton, Benalla, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Lavington.
“As the tourism board we want to continue to focus on our attractions and events and hope that people still want to visit our town for those reasons.”
Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy, who has rallied for fairer regional fuel prices for much of his 13-year political tenure, submitted and tabled a petition to the Victorian Parliament at the June 12, 2020 parliament sitting to no avail with prices growing substantially in the two and a half years following.
“Apparently they can’t prove there is collusion between all the petrol stations but look at the prices, it is obvious that there is,” Mr McCurdy said.
“Once people go out of town, both tourists and locals, to get cheaper petrol, then they will either stay in that town instead of coming over here or they then do all of their shopping etc which in turn means Yarrawonga misses out.
“This issue has been ongoing for a number of years, and yet the government seems to take no interest in investigating any price gouging in Yarrawonga.
“We continue to push the issue and ask the government about the price of fuel in Yarrawonga, but to no avail. The government has let the Yarrawonga community down.”
While in town to see the issue of the striped pedestrian crossings for himself, Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety Danny O’Brien wasa disappointed to see the high prices and said it had to be investigated.
“We want to take it back to the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) to ensure that the law is being adhered to,” Mr O’Brien said.
“For all of the surrounding towns within a half an hour drive to be at least five to ten cents cheaper, we can see there is a big issue here and Yarrawonga should not be getting disadvantaged.”
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