Servo snubs price rise | Fraser Coast News | Local News in Fraser Coast

George Leciej, owner of Gallehawk's petrol station, looks at the prices yesterday.

Alistair Brightman

AT least one Hervey Bay filling station was sticking to its guns last night as this week's fuel subsidy cut began to impact on petrol prices on the Fraser Coast.

The owner of Gallehawk's BP in Scarness, George Leciej, admitted it was usual for his station to have some of the higher petrol prices but yesterday the cost of a litre of unleaded petrol stood at $1.20.9, as it had done on Tuesday, the day before the State Government's fuel subsidy ended.

The Queensland Office of Fair Trading was investigating 14 petrol stations in Toowoomba and Brisbane's north following complaints of profiteering in the wake of the subsidy cut which amounts to eight cents per litre.

The ACCC was also investigating, with motorists encouraged to report price hikes.

“I'm not paying any more for it,” Mr Leciej said. “Service stations do put petrol up but we don't just slam it up for the hell of it.”

Mr Leciej is disgusted other service stations have raised prices unnecessarily.

“It was a State Government tax, pure and simple,” Mr Leciej said.

“There was no such thing as a subsidy, just a state tax.”

Service station customer Ivan Clark agrees.

“It was always called a subsidy but it's just an absence of tax.”

Mr Clark drove the fuel circuit in search of the cheapest fuel and confirmed Gallehawk's had kept its prices down.

“Even with the four cents a litre subsidy, this was cheaper.”

Mr Leciej said BP did not set his prices but he would not know until tomorrow's delivery if prices would jump.