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Business

‘Fill up now’: Aussie drivers urged to head to the petrol pump before prices skyrocket

'Fill up now': Aussie drivers urged to head to the petrol pump before prices skyrocket

Australian motorists are being urged to take advantage of falling petrol prices and fill up now to make the most of the “lowest levels we have seen for some time” before it is too late.

Prices across the nation last week were down almost 20 per cent from their July peak and experts say more price relief is on the horizon.

Watch more on high diesel prices in the video above

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The national average pump price fell by 8.1c to $1.73 per liter last week, down from a recent peak of $2.12 in the first week of July.

National Roads and Motorists’ Association’s Peter Khoury said Australia was nearing the bottom of the price cycle, but warned it could soon jump back up.

“They’ve been falling now for several weeks in accordance with the price cycle, but they have definitely fallen to levels we haven’t seen for some time,” he told 7NEWS.

Khoury said Sydney had hit its cheapest average price since April, reaching $1.62 on Monday.

“We are almost at the bottom of the cycle,” I explained.

“But also, we know oil prices have been falling steadily since hitting those high points that we saw in June.

“The average in the middle of June for regularly unleaded in Sydney was $2.19. It’s now at $1.62. That gives you an idea of ​​how much oil prices have failed.”

While motorists will welcome the relief at the pump, Khoury says it is not clear how long it will last.

“The falls are highly volatile,” he said, adding “we have no idea whether they’re going to be sustained long term.

“What we do know is that over the last two or three weeks it’s been pretty consistent, driven largely by concerns about the global economy.”

While it has taken about 50 days for prices to fall this low, Khoury says, it will only take a few days for them to jump back to the top.

“That’s just the unfortunate reality of price cycles nationally is that when they go down, they go down very slowly, and when they jump, they absolutely skyrocket,” he said.

“So at some point in the coming days, possibly later this week we will see that price cycle turn. And that’s why it’s really important for (motorists) to fill up today or tomorrow.

“Keep a very close eye because you’re going to see lots of service stations are below a $1.60.”

As for when motorists will see cheap prices again, Kheary says it depends on how long the next cycle is.

Man stunned after friend charges him $2.47 for fuel money.

Man stunned after friend charges him $2.47 for fuel money.

Here’s where to find the cheapest petrol in your postcode, as of Monday afternoon.

sydney

Real time fuel price tracker PetrolSpy says Sydney’s inner west boasts the cheapest petrol, with Payless Fuel in Sydenham offering $154.8.

Franks Automotive in Marrickville offers the second cheapest at $156.9.

melbourne

Metro stations in Carlton and Collingwood are offering the lowest prices, with $157.9 and $159.9 up for grabs respectively.

Brisbane

A tank of unleaded will be cheapest at Puma Wilston, Grange Auto Care or Puma Grange, which are all offering deals of $159.5.

Adelaide

Motorists can find the petrol on offer in Adelaide at X Convenience Prospect and Woolworths Ampol Nailsworth for $153.5.

Perth

Motorists will get the most bang for their buck at United Petroleum service stations in Northbridge, Mount Lawley and East Victoria Park, where prices are tied at $156.5.

The second cheapest suburb is Yokine, where Puma is offering $156.7.

Canberra

Prices in Canberra are yet to plunge quite as low as the rest of the country, with the cheapest $179.9 at Metro Petroleum Fyshwick, followed by $182.9 at BP Fyshwick.

Darwin

Drivers in Darwin face the most expensive prices, with FuelXpress Winnellie offering the cheapest deal of $189.5.

United stations at Darwin (Smith Street), Parap, Ludmilla, Winnellie Roadhouse and BP Winnellie are all offering prices of $195.5.

Hobart

BP Moonah, Coles Express Moonah, Ampol Moonah and Ampol Central Moonah are all offering petroleum for $176.9.

Man with 2 boomerangs smashes window in road rage incident.

Man with 2 boomerangs smashes window in road rage incident.

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Categories
Business

Motorists could have saved $5.9bn on fuel if efficiency standards were introduced in 2015, The Australia Institute report finds

Stock image of a woman filling up her car at a petrol station with petrol.

Australian motorists could have saved $5.9 billion on fuel costs if efficiency standards were introduced in 2015, according to a report from The Australia Institute.

It’s one of the headline points from a discussion paper by the Canberra-based think tank, which argues how the country could benefit from fuel efficiency standards.

To give you an idea of ​​the current state of play, Australia is one of the few developed nations without such regulations. Let’s have a look at what the report says.

Where does Australia stand?

Fuel efficiency standards are aimed at regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

They have been adopted by 80 per cent of the global light vehicle market.

But Australia doesn’t have them.

Usually, countries have a fleet average efficiency standard, which means that manufacturers pay a penalty if they exceed that target.

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Categories
Technology

Apple drops mask requirements for most of its corporate workers

Apple drops mask requirements for most of its corporate workers

RIYADH: Digital platforms have changed people’s lives across every area from work to play, and travel is no exception. Online and social media have changed how people discover destinations and deals, how they book their travel, and even how they share their travel experiences.

In Saudi Arabia, for instance, residents start dreaming about traveling 10 weeks before their journey, with video and digital platforms inspiring 50 percent of their choice of destination, according to Fahad Almaghrabi, head of business partnerships at Global Business Solutions for TikTok in Saudi Arabia .

More than 70 percent of people look at TikTok for discovering travel ideas, while 64 percent book a trip after getting inspired by TikTok content, he added.

Arab News spoke to Almaghrabi to learn more about the role the short-form video platform plays in travel.

Tell us more about travelers today and how they have changed in the last decade

Over the past two decades, digital platforms have transformed how we live our lives, permeating every sphere of activity, and shaping how we interact with each other and the world around us.

This generation of “always-in market” travelers — dreaming, considering, or booking a getaway throughout the year — have also developed a penchant for a real and authentic travel experience, and that’s why they love going to their community for trustworthy travel inspiration.

Today’s intrepid travelers are just as keen to share their compelling stories and authentic visuals of journeys on entertainment platforms like TikTok, rounding off a creative cycle that in turn inspires countless others.

A study by Amp Agency found that 84 percent of millennials and 73 percent of non-millennials today were highly likely to plan a trip based on someone else’s vacation photos or videos or social media status updates.

How does this affect the way tourism destinations market themselves?

These authentic vignettes have re-ignited the demand for travel and significantly altered how destinations are being marketed globally, with travel and tourism marketers increasingly leveraging the opportunity presented by this new breed of digital platforms.

What role does TikTok play in this space?

This is a journey in which TikTok has taken the global lead as a disruptive platform with undeniable potential and momentum — and the Gulf and Middle East markets are no exception.

But TikTok’s success in becoming the platform of choice for travelers and in shaping digital travel and tourism trends across the industry is not happening.

Travel and tourism is a key segment of interest for a global and expansive hyper-engaged community of more than 1.8 billion users that straddles all markets and is growing at an astounding rate. This provides the perfect backdrop for TikTok to emerge as a platform where the community is primed not only to consume, but also to express themselves and tell their stories through authentic, visual, and geo-tagged content that is at once enticing and liberating.

This is enabled by easy-to-use editing tools, native content on the platform, and creators that fuel dynamic content.

This powerful combination of the medium and the message amplifies TikTok’s power as a creative platform and enables it to be the internet’s repertoire of travel & tourism inspiration.

TikTok is that intimate, accessible, and inspirational window through which travelers take a trip before deciding if it’s worth it — the trip before the trip.

Can you give us some examples of how TikTok has influenced travel decisions?

While TikTok continues to induce FOMO in would-be travelers with content highlighting some of the world’s most beautiful and established destinations, there are also plenty of examples of TikTok’s effectiveness in driving a surge of interest to hitherto unknown destinations, which led to a dramatic rise. in tourist footfalls overnight.

At least 83 percent of Saudi residents have either gone or plan to go on an international trip in the next six months with Egypt, UAE, and Turkey being the top short-haul and France and Germany being the top long-haul destinations.

More significantly, 74 percent of users were found to look for travel discoveries on TikTok and 73 percent were found to have impulse purchased their trip in a short span of time.

What does this mean for brands?

With such lucrative figures at their disposal, brands can natively integrate into major travel conversations and leverage the community to speak with them, about them, and for them.

In essence, this represents a paradigm shift in the typical acquisition process for travel and tourism operators to stand out within an increasingly saturated ecosystem and collapse the sales funnel to move travelers directly from the “inspiration” phase to the “booking” phase.

Whether it’s the assortment of clever hacks, unadulterated advice, safety tips or the sheer visual appeal of short-format videos, the power of TikTok in shaping and inspiring the Kingdom’s travel trends is an opportunity that could become a model for authentic and organic tourism in the years to eat.

Can you share some examples of how TikTok has increased the visibility of a tourist destination?

In a year of restricted travel, the UAE launched the “World’s Coolest Winter” campaign to highlight all the amazing sights and activities the Emirates has to offer.

INSERT WORLD’S COOLEST WINTER IMAGE

For the campaign to realize its full potential on TikTok, the ‘7’ was created, using one of TikTok’s recognizable hand gestures that looks like the number 7 in Arabic and symbolizes the seven emirates at the same time. The ‘7’ became a visual prompt that rallied residents to share their favorite hidden gems through a branded hashtag challenge.

The UAE’s top 20 creators kicked it off, including @khalidandsalama, @_m7md, @azlife.ae, @bayan.dxb, and @dxbxd – and the rest of the nation’s TikTokers soon followed.

The campaign took on a life of its own with 8,700 user-generated videos in just six days, creating a library of the UAE’s best-hidden spots and secrets available for all to explore.

The ‘7’ sign became a symbol of UAE pride, and the campaign delivered remarkable results, with a 25 percent jump in brand awareness, 85 percent increase in ad recognition, 89 percent boost in ad likeability, and over 70 million views. The campaign successfully got an entire nation smiling and moving at a time they needed it most.

Further west, TikTok was also used by Switzerland Tourism, the national marketing organization, to hype up the incredible country.

INSERT SWITZERLAND TOURISM IMAGE

Switzerland Tourism spent the first six months of its business account building its following entirely organically, focusing on a test-and-learn strategy, to thoroughly understand how TikTok works.

As their established community responded well to its hashtags, #INeedSwitzerland, and #inLOVEwithSWITZERLAND, ads were a natural next step because paid campaigns would mean it could directly target a different demographic to learn more about them.

Doubling down on its popular hashtag #INeedSwitzerland, Switzerland Tourism ran its first ever TopView ad showing a three-way split screen of dramatic scenery and nature. Spurred on by this campaign’s success, it then ran three more seasonal TopView campaigns: A summer experience tips ad, a summer in the city ad, and a funny autumn-themed ad.

In just 12 months, Switzerland Tourism has driven huge momentum on TikTok, with over 700,000 likes across all its posts and a whopping 35.5 million hashtag mentions. Most of this was organic, with some videos going viral without so much as a penny behind them.

Its TopView campaigns have achieved average engagement rates of 20 percent, which is remarkably high and shows the power of a brand putting out brilliant content on TikTok.

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Categories
Australia

The price of fuel is set to rise next month, and calls are growing for the government to step in

A sign shows petrol prices are over 200c a litre for unleaded and diesel.

Coalition and crossbench MPs are calling on the federal government to extend fuel price relief beyond the end of September, in an effort to counter the rising cost of living.

The halving of the fuel excise — at 44 cents a liter tax on fuel — is due to expire on September 28.

It means prices will rise by 22 cents a liter after September 29.

For months the federal government has insisted the measure cannot continue beyond that date due to the significant cost to the budget.

The end date was set by the Morrison government, as the measure was included in the March budget.

But Nationals MP David Gillespie argues when that date was decided, there was genuine hope prices might have fallen further by now.

David Gillespie with Barnaby Joyce behind him.
David Gillespie (left) says an extension to the excise is justified. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)

“When those announcements were made, the thought was that things might turn back to normal pretty quickly,” he said.

“We were hoping that Ukraine and Russia might come to terms, and there would be a flow of liquid and gas as per normal, but that is definitely not happening anytime soon.”

Mr Gillespie said an extension to the price relief can now be justified.

“It is a reasonable response to an extraordinary situation, a shortage of liquid fuel around the world,” he said.

Mr Gillespie’s colleague, Nationals MP Darren Chester, also agreed that while prices remained high, the interim measure had to remain in place for longer.

“I would like it extended given the disproportionate impact it has on regional motorists who often don’t have access to public transport,” he said.

“At a time when regional tourism is recovering, we also want to see city people choosing a domestic holiday and supporting local jobs.”

Their calls are echoed by Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer, who represents the northern Tasmanian seat of Bass.

A woman with blonde hair sits in a room with fairy lights.
Bridget Archer says high cost of fuel would have a significant impact on almost everyone. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)

Ms Archer said fuel prices are taking a heavy toll, and the government needs to either continue providing some relief — or come up with other assistance.

“The cost of living is rising daily and the high cost of fuel is having a significant impact on almost everyone who lives in my community which has a knock-on effect,” she said.

“I would like to see an extension of the fuel excise relief and if the government chooses not to, they must demonstrate what they will do to support individuals and families who are struggling.”

‘Take a staggered approach’

The new independent member for the western Sydney seat of Fowler, Dai Le, said her community will struggle to absorb the price rise.

“Families out in western and south-western Sydney, in electorates like mine, are really struggling with all of these higher prices for everything,” she said.

“So that’s why I have been asking the government to really consider extending the fuel excise when it ends in September.”

Meet Dai Le – the independent who won in Labor's heartland
Dai Le says the government should at least consider a staggered approach to ending the excise. (7.30 Report)

Ms Le wants to see the relief extended for a further six months, taking it into 2023.

But she said if the government won’t agree to that, it should stagger the increases in the excise, rather than returning it all at once.

“At least take a staggered approach, to incrementally (increase) the fuel excise over the next few months,” she said.

“But from my understanding the government will not budge.”

Ms Le called on Labor MP’s in western Sydney to join her call for the measure to be extended, arguing their communities are in a similar position.

Some Labor MP’s in the area have told the ABC it is a complex problem, and acknowledge their constituents will feel the impact heavily.

Government remains reluctant

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been repeatedly asked to rule out extending the fuel excise in recent weeks.

On each occasion he has warned Australians not to expect an extension, and pointed to the enormous cost to the budget — estimated at $3 billion over six months.

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