Release date: 18/05/22

South Australia’s consumer watchdog, Consumer and Business Services (CBS), is stepping up petrol station spot inspections as part of a wider compliance crackdown in coming months.

Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs Andrea Michaels said there were still too many petrol station operators not complying with real-time petrol pricing and is seen by the government as 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. Drivers can then access fuel price information for free via fuel price apps.

Since the commencement of the fuel pricing information scheme in March 2021, CBS has conducted approximately 780 inspections of petrol stations and received more than 790 complaints about potential breaches of the Scheme. Approximately 150 complaints and inspections have resulted in warning letters, and CBS has issued seven fines.

In efforts to stamp out petrol price gouging, station operators face spot fines of $550 or fines in court of up to $10,000, especially where they have ignored previous warnings.

With soaring petrol prices continuing to hit the hip pocket hard, largely as a result of global sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine, CBS has seen a spike in calls from consumers about the conduct of some service stations – especially around their compliance with real-time petrol price monitoring.

CBS will be continuing its focus on this area in the coming months, sending inspectors out across the state to spot check pricing.

There’ll 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.

However, where repeat offenders are identified, a tougher approach is being taken – especially if the operator in question has already been warned or fined.

Other key priority areas CBS will be cracking down on in coming months include:

  • Second-hand car dealers
  • Real estate agents
  • Unlicenced Builders

Quotes

Attributable to Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs Andrea Michaels

Given the costs of fuel continue to rise, it has never been more important to ensure that consumers have up-to-date access to information about petrol prices and that petrol station operators are not taking unfair advantage of consumers.

It’s not acceptable that some operators are taking advantage of the situation in Ukraine to inflate fuel prices.

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.

Any additional action in these areas will be on top of our day-to-day work, and consumers can rest assured that action will be taken where appropriate.

Consumer and Business Services has identified a number of key areas where inspectors and compliance staff would focus their efforts in coming months, based on intelligence, complaints and offending detected.

To lodge a complaint or contact CBS, visit www.cbs.sa.gov.au/contact or phone 131 882.