Riverina ground zero for full exemptions from cash mandate

ABOVE: All exemptions granted so far have been for Ampol fuel outlets.

AMPOL fuel stations in Jerilderie and Hay in the NSW Riverina are the first in regional Australia to be granted full exemptions from the Federal Government’s cash acceptance regulations that came into force in January this year.  

The stations – owned by the Purtill Group – were granted the exemptions on the basis that complying with the regulations would pose a “significant risk” to the ongoing feasibility of the business.

The exemptions, published by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), are from Monday to Sunday, from 7am to 9pm, with the leave pass for the Ampol at Hay South limited to July 1 next year.

Ampols owned by Purtills at Mathoura, Tocumwal and Griffith will be exempt from taking cash at varying times in the early mornings and evenings and on weekends.

The Bonney Energy Group, which also operates Ampol fuel outlets, has also successfully applied for exemptions during certain times at sites in Tasmania and south-west Victoria.

Affected will be Ampols at Epping Forest, East Devonport, Westbury, George Town, Exeter and Longford in Tasmania, and Halls Gap and Warrnambool in Victoria.

Again, the exemptions were granted on the basis that complying with the regulations would pose a significant risk to the ongoing feasibility of the business.

The Competition and Consumer Industry Codes—Cash Acceptance came into force on January 1 without being put to a Senate vote.

A disallowance motion moved by One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts, which had the support of the Coalition, Greens and Independent David Pocock, was eventually defeated after Labor successfully delayed the vote and Coalition senators reneged on their earlier commitment.

Criticism of the regulations – referred to colloquially as the cash mandate – includes their limited scope, with supermarkets and fuel outlets the only retailers covered.

Restrictions on the amounts of cash and exceptional circumstances exemptions are also of concern, with Treasury confirming during Senate Estimates earlier this year that a lack of banking services in a location could make complying with the regulations unaffordable and trigger exemption eligibility.

The official exemptions can be viewed here:

Bonney Energy Group Pty Ltd

Purtill Bros Nominees Pty Ltd

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