PAIN IN THE WALLET

• Petrol prices skyrocket before King’s Birthday long weekend

• RBA delivers another interest rate hit to mortgage holders

• Double demerits in force

TROY DODDS

It’s meant to be a long weekend of relaxation but for many, it’ll be spent re-calculating budgets and counting pennies.

Anyone looking to get away for the weekend is confronting petrol prices over $2 a litre, after an unsurprising spike just before the three-day break.

According to the NRMA, the average for regular unleaded petrol in Sydney has jumped over 30 cents per litre over the last fortnight.

On Wednesday, the Weekender spotted a number of petrol stations now selling unleaded at over $2 a litre.

NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said the inflationary impact of record high fuel prices over the last 12 months on both families and businesses was now well known and called on oil companies to drop prices in line with the price cycle.

“Every household has borne the brunt of the high fuel costs over the last year and as evidenced by the latest survey of NRMA Business Members – small businesses that are the backbone of our economy – have also been hit hard,” Khoury said.

“Cost-of-living pressures are challenge number one in Australia today and we don’t want Australians being unnecessarily over-charged for fuel, which is why we want oil companies to begin dropping their prices after having hit the high point of the cycle just before the long weekend.”

High petrol prices are not the only challenge confronting motorists this weekend, with double demerits also in force.

Double demerits will be in place until 11.59pm on Monday and cover speeding offences as well as the illegal use of mobile phones, not wearing a seatbelt and riding without a helmet.

Locals were also hit with another interest rate increase this week (see page 3).