Truckies maintain blockade at Victorian oil terminals

Truck owner drivers are maintaining blockades at oil terminals in Melbourne and Geelong, which could lead to a shortage of fuel in Victoria later this week.

The blockades were set up yesterday at Shell, Caltex and Mobil in a protest against rising fuel costs.

A small blockade at Caltex in Spotswood ended at 3:00am AEDT today when the company called police after threatening legal action.

Protest leader Jerry Brown Sarre says truckies will be back.

"We'll be back at Caltex with a lot more strength and we will target Caltex directly any way we can," he said.

The blockades at Shell plants in Spotswood and Corio and at Mobil in Yarraville remain in place, with no movement into or out of the terminals.

The blockade already appears to be biting at the bowser, with several metropolitan service stations short on fuel.

One Shell station at Glen Waverley is out of petrol, while others are limiting customers' purchases.

Opposition

The Victorian Opposition leader, Dr Denis Napthine says the Government must act to protect Victorian motorists.

"Clearly these renegade truck drivers mustn't be allowed to cut off Victorian fuel supplies," he said.

"If necessary the Bracks Labor Government should use the Essential Services Act to keep petrol flowing across Victoria."

Government

State Energy and Resources Minister Candy Broad has also urged truckies to end the protest which she says will hurt Victorian industry.

She will hold talks with the oil companies today and says the Government will not tolerate a continuing blockade.

"There's a range of options open to the Government to secure Victoria's fuel supplies," she said.

"We'll be examining all of the options, once we've got the information in from the fuel companies about what action they are taking directly themselves."

Western Australia

Meanwhile, Western Australian truck drivers have rejected a call by their Victorian counterparts to join a protest against high fuel costs and freight rates.

The local association says it is totally against the use of blockades as that only alienates the general public and the Government.

WA's association president, Steve Melville, says Victorian drivers upset over high fuel prices should get the consumers on side to lobby government.

"Everybody's hurting with this, but the majority of the associations' Australiawide are working with government departments and what they should be doing is passing the increase on to the bigger companies and at the end of the day the consumer," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2000/11/item20001120075250_1.htm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), November 19, 2000

Answers

Nando Times

Aussie truckers protest soaring fuel prices

The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (November 20, 2000 12:06 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Truck drivers upset by skyrocketing diesel prices blockaded fuel depots in the southern state of Victoria on Monday.

Trucks blocked wharves and all but one of the state's major fuel terminals in the state capital, Melbourne.

"We are not only doing this for ourselves, it is a campaign for everyone who uses petrol," protest organizer Jerry Brown-Sarre said.

"Whether you use it for work, for recreation, for whatever, you are paying too much and this is a chance to let the companies know you are not happy."

Diesel prices have risen from $1.44 per gallon a year ago to more than $2.12 per gallon.

Brown-Sarre said the blockades would stay in place until the drivers' demands for cheaper prices or higher payments for carrying loads were met.

Multinational petroleum giant Caltex called police late Sunday to clear the entrance to one of its depots and Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell said it also planned action to ensure fuel could still be distributed.

"We are taking advice and will be taking what action we can to maintain operations," Shell spokesman Vincent Cosgrove said.

Victorian motorists' group, the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, said the state government should step in to preserve fuel supplies.

"Petrol must flow through, the government should invoke emergency legislation if it can't solve this politically by Wednesday," RACV spokesman David Cumming said.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), November 20, 2000.