Easter 2019: Petrol prices reach six-month-high across Australia for long weekend
Australians across the country should brace for six-month-high petrol prices heading into the Easter long weekend, caused by a rise in global oil prices, according to motoring organisations.
The national average price of unleaded petrol rose by 3.5 cents to $1.45 a litre last week, according to the Australian Institute of Petroleum.
That's the highest level since mid-November, with prices ranging from $1.35 to $1.58 across capital cities.
Australians across the country should brace for six-month-high petrol prices heading into the Easter long weekend. 9news
Despite that, the NRMA’s Peter Khoury told Today that prices in some capitals around Australia could rise even higher than that.
“We’ve been seeing a slow creep of world oil prices pretty much from the start of the year,” he said this morning.
“OPEC have kept production levels low, Venezuela and Libya are, well, falling apart – they’re both oil-producing countries.
Brisbane's Easter petrol prices rate should be as high as they are going to get over the holidays, the NRMA's Peter Khoury said. 9news
Sydney's prices could still rise by another cent, but should begin to slowly drop next week. 9news
“Those factors have seen those increases in world oil prices plus the fact that the price cycles in most of the capitals have landed at the high point just in time for Easter unfortunately.”
Mr Khoury said that the high price cycles could see motorists paying $1.58 per litre in Brisbane, $1.54 in Sydney, $1.51 in Melbourne, $1.60 in Adelaide and $1.56 in Perth.
“The price cycle unfortunately has landed at the high point just as we’re going away,” he said.
Melbourne has the most economical petrol prices rate over the Easter period. 9news
“The global factors, which Australia has absolutely no control over, are not working in our favour - and they haven’t been for all of 2019.”
The good news for drivers, however, is that the worst of the high prices may have passed for most capital cities and should drop from next week, according to Mr Khoury.
Currently Adelaide's prices have skyrocketed, which Mr Khoury said is unusual for the South Australian capital. 9news
Over in Western Australia, Perth's price is also high but could drop as low as $1.35 during the next low cycle. 9news
“Sydney might go up one more cent, Melbourne might creep up a bit more, but hopefully in those capital cities, that’s as bad as its going to get,” he said.
“We should start to fall soon but the fall will be very slow.”
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