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Treasurer Jim Chalmers has put petrol retailers on notice as the government prepares to hike petrol prices by 22 cents a litre at the end of September over \u201cmisleading or anti-competitive conduct\u201d.

As motorists prepare for the reintroduction of the full fuel excise on September 29 after a six month reprieve, Dr Chalmers has warned the consumer watchdog the ACCC will \u201cramp up its activities\u201d.

The warning confirms \u2014 as expected \u2014 that there will be no extension of the fuel tax relief that was introduced in March as prices soared to an all-time high of 216.5 cents a litre in Sydney and 212.5 cents in Melbourne.

\u201cI\u2019ve instructed the ACCC to step up their surveillance of fuel markets to help make sure Australian motorists get a fair deal at the bowser,\u2019\u2019 the Treasurer said.

\u201cRefiners, importers, wholesalers and retailers should consider themselves on notice \u2013 the ACCC is keeping a very close eye on fuel prices across the country to make sure any increases are justifiable.\u201d

The government\u2019s 44 cent excise on fuel was halved in the last budget before the election, saving motorists 22 cents per litre of unleaded and diesel fuel.

The reduction in the excise saved motorists roughly $15 when filling a 60-litre tank of unleaded fuel.

At a cost of about $3 billion, cutting 22 cents in tax from every litre of petrol for six months was hailed as hip-pocket relief as voters headed to the polls.

\u201cWhat we were seeking to do in the Budget was put a shield up for Australians against those higher world oil prices,\u201d former Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in March.

\u201cOne of the hallmarks of our economic response in this pandemic is we\u2019ve always designed it carefully.

\u201cYou don\u2019t just spend money forever.\u201d

But after signalling it would not be extended, Liberal leader Peter Dutton is now calling for the Labor government to do more to help Australians deal with rising costs including on fuel.

\u201cHouseholds are facing rising power bills and your plan to address this is in disarray,\u201d Mr Dutton said last month.

\u201cWill your government compound the pressure on household budgets by not extending the fuel excise relief? Why is Labor making a bad situation worse?\u201d

Now that relief is coming to an end, the Treasurer said the consumer watchdog would be monitoring for evidence of misleading or anti-competitive conduct by fuel retailers and wholesalers.

The ACCC will also be \u201canalysing the retail price data on a daily basis after the reinstatement of the full excise\u201d and accessing more frequent, daily petrol and diesel retail price data in all capital cities and more than 190 regional locations.

Dr Chalmers has written to fuel companies, outlining the expectations in relation to passing on increases, including warning companies about misleading Australian consumers about the rationale for any price rises.

The consumer watchdog will also be charged with \u201cstepping up communication with consumers about prices, including about the best times to buy in their location based on petrol price cycle information.\u201d

\u201cThere should be no doubt that if there is evidence of misleading or anti-competitive conduct by fuel retailers, the ACCC will take action,\u2019\u2019 Dr Chalmers said.

In his letter, the Treasurer notes that \u201cthe ACCC will play a critical role in ensuring that market participants do not take advantage of the expiry of

the fuel excise reduction to penalise consumers.\u201d

The ACCC is also scheduled to release its quarterly report on retail petrol, diesel and automotive LPG prices for the June 2022 quarter on Monday.

Meanwhile, Anthony Albanese\u2019s post-election honeymoon is continuing, with\xa0support for the Coalition plunging to record lows.

In the wake of a fortnight of controversy over Scott Morrison\u2019s secret ministerial power grab, the Coalition\u2019s popular support continues to tumble.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for\xa0The Australian\xa0reveals the Coalition\u2019s primary vote has slumped by another two points to just 31 per cent.

The result reflects a five-point plunge since the May election result and is the lowest since 2008, after Kevin Rudd won the 2007 election.

Labor\u2019s primary vote remains unchanged at 37 per cent, but the two-party preferred lead is now 57-43 when a fall in primary vote support for the Coalition is factored into the equation.

The Prime Minister\u2019s lead as preferred prime minister has also lifted two points to 61 per cent compared to Peter Dutton on just 22 per cent.

Labor won the May election on a two-party preferred result of 52.1 per cent.

- by Samantha Maiden, news.com.au

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