As we are not government nor a bureaucratic department, our capacity to force oil companies to drop their prices when they are too high is obviously limited. Not even the government has the capacity to do this as the petrol industry is not regulated.

However, as an organisation that has served as the voice for motorists in NSW for almost 100 years, we take a very strong interest in petrol prices and the impact they can have on the weekly budgets of our members and their families.

We are acutely aware of this impact and this is the main reason why we fought so hard to get the NSW Government to introduce mandatory reporting of real-time petrol prices by every service in NSW.

This campaign was successful and this crucial data, which the oil companies used to share among themselves at the detriment of the rest of the community, is now available to every single motorist for free through the NRMA App and the NSW Government’s Fuel Check website.

The NRMA wanted this information available to our members and the public because we know that when it comes to petrol prices, information is power.

The tangible benefit of this reform is obvious, at the time of writing this email the gap between the cheapest service station in Goulburn and the most expensive (according to the App) is eight cents per litre, for regular unleaded. This means two things:

(1) Anyone filling up today in Goulburn can save at least $5 on a tank, simply by logging in to the app and doing a brief bit of research before filling up; and

(2) As more people use the app, those expensive service stations will have no choice but to put their prices down, as more people become aware that those service stations are ripping them off.

This type of competition has been desperately wanting in the petrol industry for some time.

The NRMA understands only too well the frustration felt by motorists at current petrol prices. This hurts families, especially those in regional and rural NSW who have to travel longer distances and have fewer public transport options.

However, while we are limited in our capacity to force oil companies to do the right thing, we can now empower our members to simply ignore them on a daily basis and fill up at those service stations that are prepared to compete on price.

I took the kids to the pool again today to beat the heat and yet again was disappointed to see about 90 per cent of the big pool and 80 per cent of the indoor pool roped off for swimming lanes. That left two lanes on one side in the big pool and one lane on each side in the indoor pool for the general public. I have been here for several hours each time and have yet to see anyone swimming laps. 

It just seems a bit off to me that so much of the pools are roped off for non-existent people. It's the middle of school holidays in the middle of summer. If you would like to increase patronage at the pool, open it up to the people and not cater to the few who swim laps.

I would like to thank the extremely honest person who found my purse at Woolworth’s. I left it on the bench seat and it was handed into the service counter.

You made my day because I envisaged having to cancel all the cards and renew my driver’s licence. Sincere thanks, once again, whoever you are.

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia has welcomed the new Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, and will be working hard to ensure issues concerning rural health remain a focus for the Turnbull Government.

There are some key areas needing urgent action: the establishment of the Rural Health Commissioner so we can be sure the interests of rural communities are adequately considered when health policy decisions are made; improving mental health services, as this issue has a major impact within rural and remote communities; and an immediate end to the Medicare freeze, having such an impact on patients and practitioners.