Australian families and transport workers are bearing the brunt of rising fuel prices after petrol prices tipped over the the $2/litre mark this week.
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Bendigo mother-of-three Candice said the rising prices could mean she couldn't afford to go to work while filling up at APCO Kangaroo Flat in central Victoria on Tuesday.
"I'm really struggling, what I put in for a week doesn't go as far. Everything is going up but your pay doesn't go up," Candice told Australian Community Media (ACM).
"So, you're really struggling with the petrol - and that's after all the food went up and trying to support three kids at the same time is just really hard. I'm worried if it keeps going up I won't be able to get the kids to school, or even get myself to work next week."
APCO Kangaroo Flat, which is one of Bendigo's busiest service stations, completely ran out of diesel and Unleaded 95 on Tuesday.
Another local resident filled up his car and several jerry cans, while being extra careful about the price.
"I can't take my eyes off the screen," he said, "but who knows when it'll be this price again."
Transport workers struggle to make ends meet
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has called for the Federal Government to subsidise petrol for impacted workers such as truck, rideshare and delivery drivers.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said "transport workers on the thinnest margins are bearing the brunt of skyrocketing fuel costs because [Scott] Morrison has refused to put in place regulation to support basic cost recovery".
The Without Trucks Australia Stops Senate Report recommended the Federal Government establish an independent body to set binding standards in trucking, such as cost recovery, in August 2021.
But the Federal Government is yet to enact any of the recommendations as of March 2022.
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Mr Kaine said "exploited, underpaid gig workers, and truck owner-drivers who operate as small businesses don't have the capacity to absorb these costs".
"Rising operating costs have deadly consequences. Stressed out drivers struggling to make ends meet are pressured to take risks like driving fatigued, delaying maintenance on vehicles and rushing to complete more trips to try and make up the drop in take-home pay," he said.
"Morrison must act now to prevent a slaughter on our roads."
Could air fares skyrocket?
With fuel prices rising, there has been some speculation that it could cause the price of flight tickets to rise as the cost is passed from the airline to passengers.
But Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said "massive pent-up demand" for air travel would cover the increase in fuel prices.
"Every week our intakes are getting better and better and better, particularly we're now seeing the business market start to come back, we're seeing a huge boom in the leisure market," he said.
"We know the demand is there and that gives us confidence we can cover the increase in fuel prices."
Airlines often hedge their fuel costs by buying or selling the expected future price of oil in order to protect themselves from rising prices.
Mr Joyce explained Qantas has hedged 90 per cent of its fuel costs until June, 50 per cent until the next quarter and 30 per cent in the final quarter, which will "give us time time to adjust the price".
"You never know with what's happening in the Ukraine, you never know what's going to happen with oil supply around the globe. It has eased since then, and as I said we have some protection and some time to see what happens with the oil market before air fares would have to move," he said.