Why is petrol so expensive?

Prime Minister John Howard has called for an all-out debate on energy in Australia. But what he doesn’t want is an all-out debate on petrol prices - because that’s a debate that he can’t win.

So far, for reasons best known to themselves, the Labor Party has given Howard an easy run on petrol prices. Perhaps they assume rising fuel prices reflect international pressures over which the Howard Government has little control.

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