30 March 2005 - Media Release

Easter petrol price inconsistencies to be referred to the ACCC

Price inconsistency in regional areas and a number of holiday price rises were the key findings from the ALP’s Easter weekend petrol price watch.

Motorists were paying between 106 and 130 cents per litre across a range of regional centres and between 95 and 106 cents per litre in regional Queensland for unleaded petrol.

One main concern highlighted in the price watch was this inconsistency between nearby regional centres. Motorists in Coffs Harbour were paying 112.5 cents per litres for their fuel while those in Grafton, less than 80km away were paying close to 8 cents less.

Also, many towns faced 1 to 4 cent price hikes leading into the holiday. This information will be passed on to the ACCC for investigation. However across the board prices remained relatively stable for motorists. Public pressure leading into the weekend possibly meant that service station operators thought twice about price gouging on the back of high demand.

Lack of competition in regional areas make high prices ‘stick’ even when the international benchmark comes down. Fewer retailers ensure that regional and rural Australia is particularly vulnerable to anti-competitive behaviour by petrol companies.

Following on from the Federal Court ruling on price fixing in Ballarat, Victoria, the ALP’s Easter petrol price watch has highlighted that there are ongoing problems with the pricing of petrol in regional areas.

The ALP calls on the Howard Government to fund ongoing, detailed and publicly available monitoring of petrol prices in regional and rural Australia, not just in the cities.

More resources need to be devoted to price monitoring in the regions and the ACCC needs greater powers to prevent unfair and illegal petrol pricing practices.

Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334

29 March 2005 - Media Release

Clothes sizing an XL issue for consumers

More people are feeling more frustrated and confused than ever about inconsistent clothes size labelling.

The Victorian Government’s lead in a national push to examine current clothing sizing standards and to establish consistency in sizes is applauded by the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party.

Dramatic variations in clothing sizes are commonplace in the Australian clothing market. This is problematic to consumers – without up to date sizing standards it is extremely difficult for consumers to purchase well fitting clothing no matter how hard they look.

Australia’s official standards are based on a survey conducted by the Berlei company almost eighty years ago. Changing demographics, environmental and lifestyle factors have all contributed to a significant shift in the average person’s size and shape since then. It is no surprise that the textile industry commonly develops independent sizing standards to suit their market, hence producing goods of inconsistent sizing across brands.

A national sizing standard once thoroughly researched and implemented will make clothes shopping simpler for consumers, reduce the occurrence of size based marketing and make sizing conversions simpler for retailers of imported goods.

A true sizing standard could potentially dispel myths about what an average sized person is. By challenging the market manipulation of sizes, negative body image concerns can start to be addressed.

A national collaborative effort is needed to ensure a well managed shape and sizing survey is conducted.

It is time that the Howard Government chipped in for consumers and industry in general and supported this Victorian Government initiative.

Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334

23 March 2005 - Media Release

Labor to monitor Easter petrol prices

Labor has warned holiday travellers not to get caught out by what could be the highest petrol prices ever seen over the Easter holiday period.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has admitted that petrol prices become "sticky" over holiday periods – in other words that prices may be artificially held up at these times.

Petrol prices traditionally rise over this period - when families are travelling greater distances to see family and friends - but because petrol has risen sharply over the last few weeks, motorists could be paying some of the highest prices ever seen.

Information is the best key to getting the best price for petrol. Being prepared to buy at the right time and shopping around to encourage competitive behaviour by the major retailers are good ways to save money.

Petrol price cycles also show that prices in cities consistently peak and trough every 7 days, which makes it easy for consumers to predict the next petrol price rise or fall.

Knowing what day of the week petrol is at its cheapest could save families money at an expensive time of year. The significant price variations that can occur at this time of year could mean savings of over $5 every time you fill up an average sedan.

Regional petrol prices fluctuate less regularly and the recent Federal Court decision to impose fines for price-fixing demonstrates the need for greater monitoring of regional petrol prices.

That's why Federal Consumer Affairs Senator Kate Lundy is setting up a petrol price watch over the Easter period, to monitor petrol price changes.

Kate Lundy is particularly interested in regional petrol prices and needs the help of regional Australians to gather this information.

Labor invites motorists from around the country to email their local petrol prices to senator.lundy@aph.gov.au or visit her website.

Please send local petrol prices, name and address of service station and your electorate. The monitoring will run from Thursday 24 March until Tuesday 29 March 2005.

Contact: Adina Cirson - 0418 488 295 or 02 6277 3334

22 March 2005 - Media Release

Howard Government finally responds to Labor leadership on childhood obesity

After years of neglect the Howard Government has finally recognised the importance of physical activity and nutrition education in the fight against obesity.

The Howard Government ignored Labor's calls for increased funding for physical activity and participation, choosing instead to administer wide spread funding cuts to existing programs between 1996 and 2004, including axing Active Australia.

It is hypocritical for Senator Humphries to now feign belated concern, when the Howard Government has contributed directly to the dramatic increase of obesity related health problems, including life threatening diseases as a result of their neglect.

Approximately 25% of Australian children and adolescents are currently overweight or obese, representing a 20% increase since 1996.

Labor released its Tackling Obesity and Promoting Community Wellbeing: Labor’s Plan for a Healthier and More Active Australia – back in October 2003 – with an initial commitment of $25 million, later increased to $116 million, representing the first concerted federal move towards improving the general health and wellbeing of all Australians. 

The Liberal party were then forced to react to Labor's leadership on the obesity issue.

Unfortunately, the Howard Government's program does not address the critical body image issues of childhood wellbeing and when Labor announced its commitment to ban junk food advertising targeting young children to assist parents, the Howard Government refused to support the plan.

Obesity continues to kill Australians, and costing the health system around $100 million a year – yet it is only because of the leadership shown by Labor that the Howard Government has acted at all.

Contact: Adina Cirson - 0418 488 295 or 02 6277 3334

18 March 2005 - Media Release

Howard Government must do more to ensure fair petrol prices in regional Australia

Labor will continue to put pressure on both Australian oil companies and the ACCC in pursuit of price justice for Australian motorists, in particular to ensure that international petrol price fluctuations are fairly reflected at the bowser.

Labor welcomes the decision by the Federal Court yesterday, which imposed almost $24 million in fines for price fixing by eight companies and eight individuals in regional Victoria, but urges the ACCC to continue the fight against illegal price fixing by petrol companies.

Regional Australia has long suffered the impacts of higher petrol prices than metropolitan areas, and is particularly vulnerable to anti-competitive behaviour by petrol companies.

The ACCC has admitted today that price-fixing may never be completely eradicated and that;

"In rural and regional Australia … it's more secluded from competition and that, of course is where the Ballarat case took place.

Consumers outside cities are copping it with both barrels, being the first to see price increases when the International benchmarks go up and now, as demonstrated by the Federal Court findings, they are also at greater risk of illegal price fixing.

The Howard Government continues to sit on their hands, refusing to acknowledge that more must be done to investigate petrol pricing which results in consumers across Australia – particularly regional Australia - paying more and more for their weekly fuel.

Australian consumers are fed up with the inconsistencies in petrol pricing, and it about time that the Howard Government provided more resources for monitoring petrol prices across Australia and greater powers to stop unfair and illegal petrol pricing practices.

Contact: Adina Cirson - 0418 488 295 or 02 6277 3334

18 March 2005 - Media Release

Manufacturing: March quarter weakest in 4 years

Australian manufacturing growth has stalled demonstrating the weakest March quarter in four years, with profits in the sector falling for the third consecutive quarter, and employment growth has flattened, further proof of the widening cracks in the Howard Government's economic credentials.

According to the Australian Industry Group's Survey of Australian Manufacturing, production growth in the March quarter was the weakest in four years.

"The survey result highlights the risk of putting up interest rates to dampen growth when key and interest rate sensitive sectors of the economy are already cooling."

Yet Howard Government refuses to acknowledge the urgency of addressing the real industry concerns of massive skills shortages, infrastructure bottlenecks and capacity constraints, all impeding Australian industry’s ability to compete globally.

The Howard Government has neglected the chronic problems undermining Australia’s manufacturing capability and this survey is demonstrative of their growing economic complacency.

Under the Howard Government;

Contact: Adina Cirson - 0418 488 295 or 02 6277 3334

18 March 2005 - Media Release

ACT Youth unemployment unacceptably high

in the youth unemployment is unacceptably high (to say nothing of hidden unemployment and underemployment) and young people are being turned away from training, at the same time as there are skills shortages - and the Government's solution is to increase skilled migration, instead of training young Australians to fill Australian jobs.

Source:  Source: Department of the Parliamentary Library (derived from ABS Labour Force Survey data)      

Contact: Adina Cirson - 0418 488 295 or 02 6277 3334

15 March 2005 - Media Release

Howard Government’s regime set to devastate campus life for Canberra students

The Howard Government’s move to introduce voluntary student unionism will destroy a range of essential services for university students at the Australian National University and University of Canberra.

This is clear payback to students for daring to criticise the Howard Government’s massive HECS hikes. 

Student organisations are a vital part of campus life at ANU and UC and fees go to supporting a range of vital services to help students complete their degrees.

The ACT’s universities don’t have the money to pay for these services after $190 million of Howard Government funding cuts in the ACT.

This is another step by the Howard Government towards universities only being accessible by the wealthy.

Contact: Adina Cirson - 0418 488 295 or 02 6277 3334

8 March 2005 - Media Release

Motorists deserve fair petrol price fluctuations

Australian consumers have seen petrol prices spike over the past week. Yesterday in capital cities throughout Australia, petrol prices spiked to around 110 cents per litre. The figure is up by over 6 cents in just four days.

An explanation for the price rise is that it reflects the exponential increase in the international fuel benchmark over the past week. However, this situation is in stark contrast to the lengthy lag for a benchmark decrease to be passed on to Australian motorists at the bowser.

Labor has continually argued on behalf of consumers and asked why consumers have to cop international benchmark petrol prices rises immediately when they are expected to accept a lag of 10 days or more when the benchmark goes down.

The ACCC used their own data to make the point in Senate Estimates hearings in February, when he suggested that consumers should expect to experience “a lag of approximately 10 days to two weeks” for prices to fall with the international benchmark.

The question to be answered by the oil companies and the ACCC, is why wasn’t there a lag at the bowser when the international benchmark increases? This is Labor’s complaint – as we continue to seek justice for Australian motorists to ensure that international price fluctuations are fairly reflected at the bowser.

Contact: Taryn Langdon 0419 148 059 or 02 6277 3334