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West Australian caravan parks are still preparing for an Easter influx as booking cancellations are snapped up by travellers willing to cop the extra cost of fuel.
The Iran conflict has had an immediate impact on fuel prices, with the monthly average price of unleaded in Perth metro soaring from $1.64 per litre in February to $2.21 per litre in March, while diesel jumped from $1.80 per litre to $2.57 per litre. In regional WA, the price of diesel is heading toward $3.50 per litre at some service stations.
The jump in prices has fuelled fears that regional tourist towns are heading towards a visitor – and spending – cliff, with Premier Roger Cook and the Tourism Council of WA urging holidaymakers to push ahead with their plans and spend their money in the regions.
RAC head of communications Rhys Heron said while the group’s caravan parks were receiving more inquiries from travellers, bookings remained strong for Easter.
Heron recommended anyone going on an Easter road trip to research and stay up to date on fuel availability by checking in with the local visitor centre, council, and FuelWatch.
Bathers Paradise Caravan Park in Esperance said they had seen about 30 bookings cancelled for the Easter period, but those vacancies were filled quickly.
One of the concerns from holidaymakers was whether the town would have enough fuel at the end of their trip. A manager at Bathers Paradise told this masthead no Esperence station had run out of fuel yet.
With WA’s regions facing the dual issues of the clean-up from Tropical Cyclone Narelle’s rampage in the Mid-West and Gascoyne and fuel availability, Cook issued a plea for holidaymakers to push on with their plans if safe to do so.
“In terms of Easter please, everyone, don’t cancel your holidays. Phone your tourism operator, your hotel, your accommodation provider, see how they’re feeling,” he said.
“Above all, if you have plans and that they can go ahead. Please take the opportunity to go and spend your tourism dollars in regional WA.
“It’s an important time of the year for them. It’s time that we all support each other, and, importantly, support our local tourism operators.”
Tourism Council WA chief executive Evan Hall said the tourism sector welcomed the Commonwealth decision to cut the fuel excise.
“The Australian Government’s announcement to halve the fuel excise for three months will provide much appreciated cost relief for Western Australians undertaking their regional road trips these April school holidays,” he said.
“With the Easter long weekend and school holidays, and the ANZAC Day long weekend, April is a peak tourism season for much of regional WA, generating $140 million and 810 tourism-funded jobs in local regional economies.”
‘No need for COVID-style mandates’: Cook
Cook said there are no plans to mandate COVID-19 era restrictions on fuel use – yet.
Speaking after a National Cabinet meeting where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a halving of the fuel excise to 23.6 cents per litre, Cook said the state was following the national alertness plan, which was currently at level two.
“This means that we are taking precautionary measures to shore up fuel supply and encouraging Western Australians to only buy the fuel they need no more, no less,” he said.
“Let me be clear, there is no desire to mandate covid era restrictions on Australians and there is no need to at this stage at our current level two settings.
“If we need to move to level three, an approach will be developed by national cabinet that provides incentives and mechanisms to encourage other voluntary measures.
“It would not be until we get to level four that we would consider any mandated demand management responses, and we are all hopeful that we will not get to that point, but if we do, it will be done as part of a plan to be considered by the National Cabinet.”
Albanese also flagged that the GST charged on every litre of fuel was also being looked at.
Cook said he was waiting for modelling to come back to see what measures could be taken.
Cook rejected calls from the WA Greens to follow Victoria’s suit and introduce free public transport to help families struggling with extra transport costs.
“We already have significantly lower fares, and that’s a permanent arrangement, not just for the next month,” he said.
After talking tough last week, urging WA’s big fuel importers to given the state confidential commercial details of fuel stocks and contracts by Tuesday, Cook revealed only one company has told him they would provide the information.
“I can only vouch for one. I was contacted personally by one of the fuel companies to say, yes, we want to get that information to you,” he said.
When asked what will happen if the companies don’t play ball Cook said: “They’ll come through, you watch, and if they don’t, we’ll act.”
“We have powers to compel them to provide information that’s necessary, but we expect to do the right thing.”
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