http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/01/why-has-graeme-samuel-changed-his-tune-on-fuelwatch/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:14:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/01/why-has-graeme-samuel-changed-his-tune-on-fuelwatch/#comment-19972 RJG Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-19972 Samuels has done a pretty fair job at the ACCC. If the legislation wasn't so gutless in a number of key areas he could have done a lot better. When you read it it sounds draconian. However many of the penalties amount to less than a speeding fine. On the subject of fuel prices Bernard Keane is right when it comes to the cities. But in the regions where competition is sparse and public transport sparser the local petrol barons are creaming it. The problem is they operate like the Mafia with a code of silence that ensures that no evidence that will stand up in court ever gets out. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walk like one then guess what? However the judges can't see that. They want someone to tell them it's true after swearing an oath. I'm sure if Greame could find such a person he would give it a burl. Samuels has done a pretty fair job at the ACCC. If the legislation wasn’t so gutless in a number of key areas he could have done a lot better. When you read it it sounds draconian. However many of the penalties amount to less than a speeding fine. On the subject of fuel prices Bernard Keane is right when it comes to the cities. But in the regions where competition is sparse and public transport sparser the local petrol barons are creaming it. The problem is they operate like the Mafia with a code of silence that ensures that no evidence that will stand up in court ever gets out. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walk like one then guess what? However the judges can’t see that. They want someone to tell them it’s true after swearing an oath. I’m sure if Greame could find such a person he would give it a burl.

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