Consumer and Business Services (CBS), is stepping up petrol station spot inspections as part of a wider compliance crackdown to protect consumers in the coming months ahead.
Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Andrea Michaels said there were still too many petrol station operators not complying with real-time petrol pricing, which was a critical area for enforcement over the remainder of the year.
“In South Australia, all fuel retailers are required to report their prices to a central database as close in time as possible to the price changing at the pump, but not more than 30 minutes after that time,” Ms Michaels said.
“Drivers can then access fuel price information for free via fuel price apps,” she said.
Ms Michaels said there would be a special focus around times of high demand – such as in the lead up to public holidays and other holiday periods.
“CBS will opt for an education-first approach, ensuring service station operators understand their responsibilities and obligations under the real-time petrol price monitoring scheme in the first instance,” she said.
“However, where repeat offenders are identified, a tougher approach is being taken – especially if the operator in question has already been warned or fined.”
The Minister said that since the commencement of the fuel pricing information scheme in March 2021, CBS had conducted approximately 780 inspections of petrol stations and received more than 790 complaints about potential breaches of the Scheme.
“It’s not acceptable that some operators are taking advantage of the situation in Ukraine to inflate fuel prices,” she said.
“We are also keeping a close watch on other sectors where operators may not be doing the right thing by consumers, including some unlicensed builders and some second-hand and car dealers,” Ms Michaels said.
