Wednesday, 18 March 2026

 Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:58): (2241) My question is for the Minister for Consumer Affairs, and it relates to the Allan Labor government’s new anti–price gouging laws for petrol. We know that the role of any state government to influence oil prices is very limited, especially with the current geopolitical crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. However, there are steps that can be taken. I do wish to ask the minister how my constituents in the south-east can benefit from initiatives such as the anti–price gouging laws, which require retailers to notify a day in advance of the maximum prices they will set for the following day – retailers can then reduce the price but not increase it above that cap – and also the Service Victoria app functionality of Servo Saver, which has already been used 265,000 times since its launch last year. Minister, how are these initiatives going to support my constituents in the south-east with the cost of living in this time?