Rising costs, fuel prices and bushfire-related closures are pushing regional Victoria’s small businesses to the brink, with owners saying they are struggling to stay open. The Reserve Bank raised interest rates by 0.25 percent on March 17, adding to the pressure on already struggling businesses. Since then, some workers say fewer people are going out … Read more
Australian petrol prices tend to follow predictable cycles, but they have all gone out the window in recent weeks. In the early days of the Middle East conflict, petrol stations across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne raised prices faster than the rise in global oil prices, in what several leading experts said was an attempt to … Read more
Motorists will pay up to 26.3 cents on every liter of fuel they buy for three months, but some economists warn it could ultimately leave Australians worse off. Treasurer Jim Chalmers today marked the government’s decision to temporarily cut fuel tax to ease the cost of living, predicting it will reduce the cost of a … Read more
In 2013, Shell closed its Clyde refinery on the Paramatta River, and a year later, Caltex closed Kurnell in Botany Bay. That was the time when Australia went from being self-sufficient in petrol and diesel to relying on imports. The oil shocks of the 1970s were forgotten. We endured a decade of recession like everybody … Read more