Triabunna Diesel Spread Hits 107 Cents as Tasmania Fuel Prices Raise Serious Questions
This week's fuel price data from Tasmania uncovers something that deserves far more scrutiny than it is getting. In the small east coast town of Triabunna, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive diesel has blown out to 107 cents per litre. That is not a typo. One servo is selling diesel at 191.9 cents while another just down the road is charging 298.9 cents for the same fuel.
A closer look reveals this is not an isolated case. Up in the northwest, Smithton is showing an even wider spread of 110 cents, with diesel ranging from 189.9 to 299.9 cents across six stations. For a town with barely 4,000 residents, the idea that motorists are being asked to pay over a dollar more per litre depending on which servo they pull into raises some very pointed questions about pricing transparency in regional Tasmania.
The Statewide Picture Is No Better
Tasmania's average diesel price has climbed 7.5 cents overnight to 293.4 cents per litre, a 2.62 per cent jump that puts it among the sharpest daily increases anywhere in the country. New South Wales saw an identical 7.5 cent rise on diesel, pushing its average to 296.4 cents across more than 1,000 stations. But NSW has the population density and competition to help keep prices honest. Tasmania does not always have that luxury.
Digging deeper into the numbers, the cheapest diesel in Tasmania right now sits at 189.9 cents while the most expensive is 338.9 cents. That is a statewide spread of 149 cents, which is remarkable for an island state with just over half a million people. By comparison, Victoria has a spread of 159.8 cents but across 702 stations serving nearly seven million residents. Tasmania achieves almost the same level of price chaos with just 244 stations.
Why Small Towns Cop the Worst of It
The variation between regions is striking and worth investigating. In Triabunna, the average diesel price is 272.3 cents, which sounds reasonable enough until you realise that average is being dragged down by a single outlier at 191.9 cents. Remove that one servo and the remaining stations are clustered around 300 cents. That pattern repeats in Smithton, where one station at 189.9 cents masks the reality that most motorists are paying close to 300 cents.
This raises some interesting questions about whether those low prices are genuine retail offers or wholesale and fleet pricing that most consumers will never access. Motorists should be aware that headline "cheapest price" figures can be misleading when they represent a single outlet with restricted access or limited supply.
The National Context
Across the country, diesel is having a tough week. NSW diesel jumped 7.5 cents to 296.4 cents. Western Australia edged up 1.5 cents to 294.5 cents. Victoria saw a smaller 0.9 cent rise to 292.8 cents. The ACT is sitting at 294.8 cents with a remarkably tight spread of just 19 cents across its 22 stations, which tells you what proper urban competition looks like.
Meanwhile, the Northern Territory continues to show the widest spread in the nation at 251.7 cents between cheapest and dearest, though much of that is driven by remote community pricing that is a story unto itself.
For Tasmanian motorists filling up with unleaded, the picture is somewhat better. Competition on standard petrol tends to be tighter than on diesel, particularly around Hobart and Launceston where major chains keep each other honest. But venture into the regional towns along the east coast or the northwest and the same pricing patterns emerge. Limited competition means limited incentive to offer fair prices.
What Motorists Can Do
The data makes a compelling case for checking prices before filling up, particularly if you are driving through regional Tasmania. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive servo in Triabunna alone would cost you over $80 on a 75 litre tank. In Smithton, the gap is even larger at $82.50.
For those planning trips along the east coast or through the northwest, it pays to fill up in the larger centres where competition exists. Hobart and Launceston generally offer better value than the smaller towns along the way.
Armed with this information, Tasmanian motorists can make informed decisions and avoid paying more than necessary. But the broader question remains: why are small towns with captive audiences consistently seeing the widest price spreads in the country? That is a question regulators should be asking with far more urgency than they currently are.
