Fuel price fluctuations

Dear Echo News,

As fuel is a huge factor in the production of goods, the up and down cost of fuel is one of the main causes of the fluctuating economy.

Fuel companies are blaming the fluctuating cost of oil as the reason for fuel prices going up and down by as much as 45 cents per litre almost daily.

However, oil rarely varies by more than $1 or $2 a barrel.

Once the price of fuel was up it stayed there, and started fluctuating up and down by about 20 cents a litre, even though the oil price had dropped dramatically.

As oil continued to fall, prices per litre remained where they were, still jumping up and down.

In the period since, no doubt processing costs will have increased slightly, but this does not account for the constant instability of fuel prices.

Fuel prices can vary as much as 45c per litre from one day to the next while the price of oil does not vary, or varies by only $1 or $2 per barrel which should mean only 1 or 2 cents a litre at the bowsers.

It is time the federal government stepped in and brought fuel companies into line and stabilised the price of fuel.

This could, in turn, to help to stabilise the economy.

Or is it that the federal government gets so much per litre that they don’t want to see it stabilised?

S Oliver

Ellenbrook

Unlikely litter

Dear Echo News,

Regarding Winemakers apprehensive about containers for change expansion (Echo News, November 17), I would like to mention that ever since the scheme began, I have been picking up littered containers in order to donate the 10 cent refunds to charity.

In all that time I have only ever come across one wine or spirit bottle and that was a wine bottle near the Midland train station.

Wine and spirit bottles were excluded from the scheme because the vast majority of such products were consumed at home and therefore the containers were unlikely to end up as litter, and as far as I can see this situation has not changed – so why are they now considering this expansion of the scheme?

C Coulthard

Gooseberry Hill

Closed banks

Dear Echo News,

I am disappointed at the closure of the Ellenbrook Westpac bank.

It is amazing that in a growth area such as Ellenbrook that this bank decides to close its doors.

Are they really concerned about their customers or is it always the dollar sign?

Now to do business with the bank we need to go to Midland, how considerate of Westpac.

It is a certain way to lose customers, if that is what they want.

I will be looking elsewhere now.

J Marino

The Vines

Dog bag stinker

Dear Echo News,

Here is some correspondence I have recently received from the City of Swan regarding doggy bags in the park.

They told me, that due to the cost-of-living crisis, the city is currently in a dispute with a supplier for doggy bags.

In my opinion, the city wants to pay pre-pandemic prices for doggy bags.

So, in my opinion, dog owners, supply your own bags or leave poo on the ground, because I believe the city is experiencing difficulties supplying doggy bags in parks in the immediate future, because, in my opinion, they don’t want to spend money.

But, they do apparently have new electrically operated curtains and blinds.

R Bogerd

Beechboro