“It has become apparent the FuelWatch, but don’t touch, scheme has become just that.

“The process works strongly in favour of the major oil companies and against the interests of the independents and you don’t have to take my word for this. You can take Minister Ferguson’s but he may have borrowed it from my numerous media releases regarding FuelWatch.

“The FuelWatch scheme does not increase retail market diversification. The FuelWatch scheme does not bring a new supply online such as ethanol and shale oil. The FuelWatch scheme does not promote the use of biodiesel in mining.

"The FuelWatch scheme does not reduce transport cost by laying out a new network of capital city interconnectivity, as would be provided by an inland rail between Brisbane and Melbourne. A promotion of high speed rail interconnectivity between capitals to reduce the transport cost associated with most products, especially groceries, would require something very visionary such as an inland rail.

“What the FuelWatch scheme appears to be, and it appears Minister Ferguson agrees, is a peculiar form of ‘hydrocarboniferous' voyeurism, a tokenistic stunt that achieves little and, now, has been called by the public and Prime Minister Rudd’s own people for what it is.

“Prime Minister Rudd must move to construct a policy including such components as the development of shale oil, of which Australia has an estimated reserve of 466 billion barrels (Standing Committee on Economics, 20/09/2006), promotion of ethanol, promotion of biodiesel, reduction of taxes on petrol, increased fuel retail diversification and an examination of the efficacy of parity pricing, especially parity pricing which includes a transport component on oil, even domestic oil.

“Mr Rudd’s approach so far has been to throw his teddy into the dirt and say it’s all too complicated and difficult. But, this was not the same yarn that was spun to us before the election."

Ends