The AAA report found that Hobart is the most costly capital city in Australia in terms of average household transport costs as a proportion of income and Launceston is the most costly regional centre.

The average Launceston household spends $14,377 per year on transport which is 16.7 per cent of average household income.

The average Hobart household spends $4744 per year just on fuel, not far off twice the average electricity bill of $2444 as measured by the ABS.

A few days later Minister Sarah Courtney announced she had made a complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, claiming it is unfair for petrol retailers to not reduce prices when wholesale price drops.

My understanding is that companies have to be found to be colluding to fix prices before the ACCC will take action.

If not then the market is operating as is should, retailers charge high prices because customers are willing to pay and they will only reduce them when consumption drops sufficiently. 

Instead of chasing dreams of the ACCC intervention to reduce petrol prices, why doesn't the government, RACT and others do more to help people reduce the consumption of fuel. Some people have less options to reduce consumption but many can, which reduces carbon emissions and household expenditure.

There are many great ideas in the state government's Climate Action 21 Strategy that should be better promoted and funded, including: supporting the rollout of electric vehicles, making public transport more convenient, planning development to reduce reliance on vehicles, improving efficiency of government vehicle fleets and improving efficiency of heavy vehicle fleets, which will assist business profitability as well.

The AAA report also found that car repayments make up 41 per cent of the annual household transport bill or $6400.

Buying a less expensive and quality smaller car is more fuel efficient and helps reduce the car repayments.

Regardless of the outcome of the ACCC complaint we need to focus on other ways to reduce household transport bills that also reduces carbon emissions.

AS THE dust settled on the recent debacle of serving dual-nationality politicians, I couldn't help but wonder how many there had been in the past.

Odds-on it was not an occurrence unique to this generation of government, especially when you recall past immigration policy and the origins of the country's immigrants.

The question again came to mind as I sat and watched A Current Affair (Monday, December 10) and its accounts of the latest injustices being faced by many people due to this highly questionable federal government scheme.

I cannot help but wonder why I haven't heard or read anything in relation to the same federal government recouping probably millions, if not billions, of dollars paid to decades of past dual-nationality politicians – both salary and after retirement payments that we now know they were clearly not entitled to receive. 

Having raised the question and in the interests of fair play to all, I'm confident all legitimate serving politicians would also like to know the answer to this question – be it without notice or on notice.

I know I would, wouldn't you?

I BET Beyonce, Hillary Clinton, and most others attending that lavish wedding in India like to be classified as climate change warriors.

THERE is no need to go to the Carrick Speedway, just come to Trevallyn any night of the week and watch Launceston’s hoons burning rubber and racing in Gleadow Street, Invermay.

The police must be aware of their activities, but the hoons continue with their sport on public roads.

IT IS not an uncommon sight to observe vehicles with the number plate partially or sometimes completely obscured.

By no stretch of the imagination, can one conclude this is accidental.

Quite obviously, the drivers of such vehicles have deliberately deleted or concealed all or part of their number plate to conceal recognition.

They must have outstanding speeding or other traffic offences and do not wish to be recognised and reported.

If this action is not a listed offence, it should be, because they do not want their identity and offence to become known.

Perhaps any vehicle observed in this manner should have the driver, if not fined, required to pay for re-registration and pay for new number plates.

JUDGING by the hysterical ramblings of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton we are in for the mother of all scare campaigns to be waged by the present federal government leading up to the next general election.

These tactics only highlight the breathtaking hypocrisy of Messrs Morrison and Dutton and further exposes the lack of any substantial policy commitment from their disorganised rabble of a political party.