8 August 2006

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to Monitor Ethanol Blended Fuel (E10) Prices

The Treasurer, Peter Costello, today announced that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will extend its monitoring of fuel prices to include E10 and provide a report on the price differential between E10 and unleaded petrol on a quarterly basis.

Currently the ACCC monitors the daily average retail prices of unleaded petrol, diesel and automotive LPG at around 3,600 sites across Australia. Under the new arrangements, E10 will be included in the ACCC’s price monitoring programme.

The ACCC will also produce a quarterly report on the price differential between E10 and unleaded petrol in both capital cities and country towns, and display the report on its website www.accc.gov.au.

The ACCC currently provides information to consumers on fuel prices, gathered through its price monitoring, through its publications and website. Inclusion of E10 in monitoring will lead to a greater number of fuels being monitored and improved transparency of E10 pricing.