Queue for cheap fuel deals – Above: Belgrave Motors offered cheap fuel for motorists. 20359

By Tania Martin
MOTORISTS received some much needed relief at the petrol pump last week as two hills service stations dropped their prices by 10 cents per litre.
This came as fuel prices soared across Melbourne to a record high of $1.75 per litre.
Cheap Tuesday gained new meaning for motorists last week when United Service Station in Emerald slashed the price of petrol to $148.9 per litre.
The service station was able to offer cheap fuel after the Cockatoo-Gembrook branch of the Bendigo Bank offered to sponsor the deal.
The special lasted for two hours from 10am to noon last Tuesday, 8 July.
Cockatoo-Gembrook branch manager Cory Sullivan said it was a great way for the bank to give back to the community.
Mr Sullivan said the hills communities where really feeling the pinch and that the bank wanted to do something to help.
United Service Station owner Chris Rayson said that offering cheap fuel was a great way to help locals.
Mr Rayson said without the bank’s help he would never have been able to offer such a deal to motorists.
“It would send me broke if I did it myself – there is no way we could afford it on our own,” he said.
After hearing about the initiative, Elevations in Emerald also chipped in $200 towards the cause.
Motorists also got a second chance to cash in on cheap fuel last Thursday 10 July between 11am and noon when Belgrave Motors also dropped its price by 10 cents per litre.
The service station was able to offer this cut price with local traders including the Belgrave branch of the Bendigo Bank, Ranges First National and Belgrave Dry Cleaners sponsoring the event.
Despite claims that this sort of deal will be outlawed under the introduction of a national FuelWatch initiative, the Federal Government has assured motorists that this is not the case.
Under FuelWatch, petrol stations in metropolitan and major regional centres would be required to notify the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of their prices for the next day by 2pm and maintain the price for 24 hours.
A government spokesman said that special deals will still be allowed under the new system.
He said that service stations will have to advertise a standard price and maintain it but this doesn’t exclude them from offering special deals.
“They can still have two hour deals but have to clearly advertise both the special and the standard price to consumers,” the spokesman said.