They are not alone with the NSW Agriculture Minister adamant that regional areas have been getting a raw deal.

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On Thursday Adam Marshall said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission needed to take action against big fuel companies, who he said were charging too much for fuel in regional NSW.

But it comes at a time when fuel consumption has fallen by 50 per cent nationwide. Fuel retailers argue that it means the fuel they have at the bowser was not bought at today's reduced prices, which is why it takes time for a price reduction to reach rural communities.

This is not the first time Mr Marshall has said the ACCC should look into the profits made by companies such as Shell, BP and Caltex. Petrol prices is an issue Mr Marshall has complained about for most of the seven years he has been in state parliament.

"This has been an ongoing issue for years," he said.

High petrol prices are nothing new for people in the Southern Highlands.

And they were experiencing more of the same on April 22.

At one Highlands petrol station at Bundanoon standard unleaded was selling for 122.6. Meanwhile the price at the Caltex bowser in Moss Vale on April 24 for unleaded was 128.7.

Some might consider this a relief compared to Highlands highs when Moss Vale was the dearest for diesel in regional NSW at 171.2 cents per litre at the close of business on October 28, 2018.

But the latest prices in the region are still far from reflective of the much-touted national and international price drop in fuel prices.

Highlands motorist Nathan Moore slammed what he described as "criminal price gauging that is systemic in the Highland fuel market."

Prices continued to deliver a sting at the Caltex at Appin with a photo taken on April 22 showing unleaded at 127.7.

There was better news for motorists in Goulburn-Mulwaree with prices dropping to 104.9 per litre at one Caltex stations while a Mobil station in the region advertised a price of 110.5 for standard unleaded petrol.

Meanwhile motorists in the Shoalhaven have enjoyed prices below $1 per litre at several location including 86 cents per litre at some stations around Nowra on April 23.

Further north in NSW there was good news for motorists on April 23 in Armidale, with unleaded selling for 114.9 or 115.9 cents per litre.

"The retail fuel prices across the state are now starting to reflect accurately the huge drop in the world oil price, and the huge drop in the terminal gate price," Mr Marshall said.

The terminal gate price is the amount fuel companies pay once fuel arrives in Australia, and roughly, the price motorists in regional areas should be paying is about 10 cents above that.

"People talk about the world oil price, per barrel, but it's probably not an accurate measure of what fuel prices should be in regional Australia.

"The more accurate measure is what it costs a fuel retailer to purchase fuel once it comes off the ship in Australia. At the moment that's about 81-82 centre a litre, to purchase at the terminal gate in either Brisbane or Sydney.

"Then you've got to add transport costs."

He said the cheapest fuel in his region in northern NSW was 96 cents a litre, which was what independent retailers were charging. He said that was about 20 cents cheaper than the Caltex, Shell and BP outlets in the region.

"They're still making decent profit at 96 cents a litre," Mr Marshall said of the independent retailers. "But that's a lot cheaper than $1.16.9 and $1.15.9, which is what it's being sold for at Caltex and BP.

"There's no doubt that the companies are engaging in price gouging and super profits."

He claimed service station owners for the major outlets were usually told what price to charge.

"So it's not the fault of the people that own the stores, it's the people higher up the chain in the Shell's, the BP's and the Caltex's that determine what the prices will be.

"Typically, independently owned service stations are cheaper because they don't answer to some boss in Sydney or Brisbane, they determine their price, each and every day, locally, rather than being told from above what the price will be," he said.

Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association CEO, Mark McKenzie, told ACM that it was simplistic to judge what prices should be off the terminal gate price.

"Retail fuel prices today are not based on wholesale prices today, as many regional servos bought the fuel two or three weeks ago and/or use rolling averages that mean that the wholesale price they pay is well above the instantaneous or 'spot' wholesale price," Mr McKenzie said.

"It is this misunderstanding that is leading to people, including Mr Marshall, making claims that are simply not correct."

ACM contacted both Caltex and Shell for comment.

Member for Hume Angus Taylor has also been contacted for a comment.