POPULAR WORDS

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has accepted the challenge presented to him yesterday by a number of Queensland industry bodies to raise the matter of fuel excise at the Council of Australian Governments' (COAG) meeting next week, but he is having trouble getting the issue on the agenda. An aide to Premier Beattie says that late yesterday the Prime Minister's office informed the Queensland government the issue would not be included on the agenda. This follows yesterday's release of a joint statement by a number of powerful Queensland industry bodies, including the Motor Trades Association of Queensland, the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Queensland Trucking Association, RACQ and the Taxi Council of Queensland, calling for the federal government to consider the negative economic impact higher fuel prices have on businesses. They want the February fuel excise increase cancelled and requested Beattie raise the matter at the Premiers' Conference on November 3. "I fully support the call by the representative of all the major users of fuel in Queensland for the removal of automatic indexation of the fuel excise as a first step," Beattie says. "I also accept their call to raise the matter at next week's COAG meeting in Canberra which will be attended by state and territory leaders as well as the Prime Minister and Federal Treasurer." Beattie says the fuel issue is relevant with yesterday's release of consumer price index figures showing a 10.4% rise in fuel costs in the September quarter. The 23.6% increase over the past 12 months contributed a full percentage point to the 6.1% annualised inflation rate. "Queensland is sensitive to fuel prices because of the huge distances to be travelled in our state," he says. Beattie's aide says if the Premier can not get the matter on the agenda before the COAG meeting he will discuss it with the state and territory premiers earlier. He says Beattie is in a "pretty strong position" because all the states, including those run by the conservatives, such as Richard Court, support the removal of February's price rise. More details will be released on ATN online as soon as they are available.