Yes - my bad. Yes you are completely correct. I probably shouldn't try and do this on a Friday night (my time!). To correct my figures on the basis of: AUD 1.754 - 2.139/litre range (average 2.015/litre across dozens of stations) Should be: USD 1.193 - 1.4545/litre (based upon AUDUSD of 0.68) USD 4.5095 - 5.4980 / US gallon. The point still remains - a single wholesale delivery point does not dictate retail pricing at any given venue...
Which I never claimed it should. But when you have a cartel, an oligopoly, where prices are overall agreed on then there is an anticompetitive problem that needs addressing. I am not referring to the final gas station operators who usually tack about 5-12 cents on top of each liter for their services. I am talking about refinery operators who seem to strike it filthy rich at the moment. Exact same with lumber. Lumber prices have halved from the top they reached. Yet timber prices are at the absolute top end of the spectrum and have not corrected back. Sawmills at the moment make an absolute killing and quite clearly agree on prices across sawmills. And this is happening in one of the world's most productive foresting and lumber regions where there should be ample competition.