Government Asks People To Stay At Home To Flatten The Curve

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

The Federal Government has this week asked Australians to consider whether they really need to leave home and go for a drive.

According to Energy Minister Chris Bowen, the extreme demand for fuel is driving up the price and that our national stocks of the magic liquid are not as dire as some media outlets are reporting.

This has resulted in average price for unleaded and diesel to explode, causing headaches for all walks of motoring society. To combat this unprecedented hurdle, the government is deploying a familiar method.

"We're asking people to stay at home, to work from home, to help flatten the curve," said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this morning in Canberra.

"The, uh, fuel price curve. Not the other one. I can promise you one thing, we're not having any more lockdowns. It'll be everyone's lungs for themselves next time."

"But what we need to do right now is cut the domestic demand for fuel, temporarily, to get the prices down. Because what we don't want to see in a few months time in reporting season is these fuel giants posting billion-dollar profits off the back of the ever-whipped Australian consumer. That's what, uh, we don't want."

The average price of petrol is now well above $2 all around the country, the price of diesel is even higher. And as per usual, people in the bush are being disproportionally gouged.

Whether people will adhere to the Government's big ask is yet to be seen.

Speaking to The Advocate this morning at The Busy Bee Service Station, an independent fuel seller in Betoota Heights, local man David Jenkins said he was not about to get the bus or stay at home.

"I'm going getting on that wheeled refugee camp," he said.

"Albo can get stuffed. And I'm not staying at home, either. I've worked my whole life and now I'm retired. What does he want me to do? Push my golf clubs the 10km it is to Royal Betoota [Country Club]. Does we want me to carry my groceries home? It's his fucken job to make sure I can do all those things because the fucken government has taken half my pay packet for my whole working life so the fucken cunce need to pony up their end of the bargain, otherwise the cunce can give it back,"

"Do you follow me?"

More to come.