Farmers and fishers call for help with fuel prices, warn costs will be passed on

The general manager of Australia Bay Seafoods, Mr O'Brien said the business could not absorb the increase, or the doubling of trucking charges to send the fish to southern cities including Sydney. "The federal government is in charge of the excise, and the road user charges; anything that relies on transport is at risk here — retailers, tourism, our trucking companies, as those prices continue to drive forward, we're going to see the impact on the prices we pay as consumers," Mr Gaddes said. "The remote area allowance needs to be immediately indexed for CPI and the base rate of the allowance needs to be substantially increased to offset the real cost of living for remote."

Author: Jane Bardon

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