AN Edenhope woman has called on the State Government to subsidise fuel for people in rural areas as petrol prices continue to soar.
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The average price of unleaded and diesel fuel in the Wimmera over the New Year period was $1.33, while premium fuel was $1.38.
Jan Carberry, owner of Edenhope Fuel and Tyres, said she thought country people should have access to cheaper fuel than city people.
"Country people in little towns like Edenhope and Apsley have zero access to public transport," she said.
"We should be subsidised for that."
Jo Hallett of Quantong said she agreed with Mrs Carberry.
"We've just been to Adelaide and petrol is 10 cents a litre cheaper in Adelaide," she said on Monday.
"Subsidising fuel is a good idea actually, I don't understand why it's all the same price.
"The prices don't seem to fluctuate, whereas they do in Melbourne and they have cheap fuel days which gives you the opportunity to fill up on those days.
''We don't seem to have that opportunity."
A staff member from Shell service station in Nhill said petrol prices during a trip to Bendigo last week averaged between $1.26 and $1.30 a litre.
"We're not a lot more expensive than the big regional centres, but gas in the Wimmera is very unreasonable," she said.
"But we have friendly service and we empty our windscreen water regularly so people can clean off locusts.
"Over in Bendigo I was lucky to get a trickle."
Horsham resident Ian McCulloch said although the price of petrol didn't worry him too much, he would support a subsidy for country people.
"It's dear ? it's dearer than Ballarat," he said.
"We just moved from Ballarat and the price of petrol in Ballarat is usually about $1.18.
"I remember when the price of petrol used to be under a dollar."
