Australia – Watchdog’s fuel plan may backfire: BP

ONE of the nation’s oil majors has warned that the competition watchdog’s plan to smash control over fuel storage facilities will do little to reduce petrol prices and could backfire, with higher costs for motorists.

Responding to the revelation by The Australian yesterday of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s strategy to encourage greater storage access for independent retailers, BP Australia said an efficient and competitive supply chain was already in place.


“There’s a very efficient system across terminals in terms of allowing efficient and least-cost supply to the Australian public and any proposal that cut across this system we wouldn’t think was necessary,” BP Australia spokesman Chandran Vigneswaran said yesterday.

“It could make the system less efficient, which would mean potentially higher prices.”

The Australian