By Mitch Gaynor
A LOCAL business has been hit with an extra $35,000 in fuel costs in a single month as diesel prices push beyond $3 a litre.
Chilli Bins owner Neal Heinrich raised the figure with Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace during a listening post at Mooloolah on the MP’s annual Tour de Fisher last week.
Mr Heinrich said the business was absorbing the increase rather than passing it directly on to customers.
The sharp rise in fuel costs was one of several cost-of-living and business pressures raised during Mr Wallace’s five-day, 150km cycling tour across the electorate, which included stops throughout the hinterland.
Mr Wallace said higher fuel prices were putting pressure on both businesses and household budgets.
“Every extra dollar you spend on fuel is a dollar less people have for groceries, rent, the mortgage or power bills,” he said.
“Right now, it feels like every tank costs more than the last.” Mr Wallace was last week promoting the Coalition’s proposed Fuel Price Shield, which would automatically halve fuel excise when the two-week average Brent crude oil price rises above US$100 a barrel.
The Coalition says the measure would cut fuel tax by about 27 cents a litre at current rates and save around $15 on a typical tank.
The proposal would also reduce the heavy vehicle Road User Charge to zero while the shield was active. The Federal Government has criticised the proposal and is not currently considering another fuel excise cut.
Beyond fuel prices, Mr Wallace said residents had also raised housing affordability, healthcare, transport, insurance, electricity costs and pressures facing small businesses during the tour.
Hinterland stops included Mooloolah Valley, Landsborough, Glass House Mountains, Beerwah, Peachester, Witta, Palmwoods and Maleny.
