12:00a.m. 7th January 2009

| By Hayley Nissen

Caltex Maroochydore at Aerodrome Rd runs out of Unleaded petrol. Photo: Nicholas Falconer / 180009

Sunshine Coast residents are being slugged up to 10 cents a litre more for unleaded petrol than drivers in Brisbane and Toowoomba.

A quick scan of petrol prices yesterday had the Coast’s cheapest fuel at the Nambour Matilda service station for 96.7 cents a litre, while Brisbane’s cheapest was at Deception Bay for 89.8.

The Coast was on a par with Melbourne while other capitals, excluding Hobart, were cheaper.

Minyama resident Ann Johnson is outraged that we are being dumped with the extra expense after a holiday to Toowoomba during Christmas highlighted the difference.

Mrs Johnson holidayed with her sister, who lives in Toowoomba, before Christmas over 11 days and noted that during that time the price remained the same at 89 cents a litre without discount.

“My sister called yesterday to say the prices still haven’t changed,” she said.

“The price (of a barrel of oil) is too low to be paying what we’re paying at the pump. I think they (fuel stations) put it up because of the tourists.”

Mrs Johnson has decided to take matters into her own hands, and has contacted everyone from her local MP to petrol stations, RACQ and the ACCC, but without much luck.

“I rang the ACCC and they said they can’t do anything about it,” she said.

“They told me the outlets can charge what they like because it’s been deregulated.

“I think something has to be done about it … what’s the good of them if they can’t do anything? They need to get it on the front pages and say ‘Shame’, really knock it to them.”

A spokesman for fuel watchdog FuelTrac, Geoff Trotter, said the inconsistency was partly due to motorists being unaware that they were paying more than they should, and also a lack of competition from independent outlets.

“They’ve been holding prices up in Brisbane and on the Sunshine Coast higher than normal. I don’t know how they are getting away with it,” he said.

Mr Trotter said because of the significant fall in petrol prices of late, people still thought they were getting a good deal which enabled fuel companies to secretively maintain about a 10-cent bonus.

Brisbane’s wholesale price was 86 cents a litre with the state-infused subsidy.

Areas like Toowoomba are making three cents a litre, while Sunshine Coast outlets are around the 13-cent mark.

Neumann Petroleum operator Ron Chambers dismissed the market as not being competitive, saying a shortage in fuel was behind the price difference.

Stations were still struggling to meet demand following problems at the Caltex refinery.

“The market is still very competitive and always will be,’’ Mr Chambers said.