Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor says the Turnbull government is pushing to give motorists access to real time petrol prices so they can choose where to fill up.

Mr Taylor said from later next month, petrol price data, updated every 15 minutes, would be made available by location.

“The prices will be published by the information exchange service known as Informed Sources – and app developers are coming up with products to help motorists find the cheapest local petrol.

“I’ve been talking to the ACCC about the opportunities this will create. While petrol has come down in price recently, we’re still paying a lot more here in local communities than we should have to. If an app on your phone shows who’s selling the cheapest petrol, then that’s probably where you’re going to go,” Mr Taylor said.

He said access to petrol prices was a terrific example of how the Federal government was working with government entities - in this case the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) - and government departments, to get more data to the public.

“The possibilities are endless. Earlier this year, the Australian Government published for the first time more than 13 million coded addresses, the Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF). Companies are using the data to create heatmaps, for example, to identify numbers of properties within walking distance to new bus stops and public services.

“There is huge potential for open data to completely change planning. Sharing data will make problems and solutions more contestable and ultimately make our communities easier to live in.

“Federal Government is the enabler; by opening access to the information, we unlock the opportunities for individuals to come up with the solutions.”

Caption: The release of real time petrol prices, from late May, will make it easier for motorists to find the cheapest local petrol.