The 20-year-old studies commerce at Deakin University in Geelong and travels every fortnight back to his family home in Warrnambool. 

So the federal government’s announcement last month that it would revive petrol tax indexation left Mr O’Sullivan rather annoyed that he has to pay more to fill his Hyundai Accent.

He met with South West Coast Labor candidate Roy Reekie this week, who says the price hike is a state issue because taxes raised will be redirected into the contentious East-West Link redevelopment.

“I think the Prime Minister has no idea how much this will impact country people,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

“When you’re a uni student from the country, you drive home pretty regularly and any increase in cost is going to hurt. I think it’s really ignorant of the impact on country people.”

Mr Reekie said Prime Minister Tony Abbott has linked cash generated from the fuel excise re-indexation to be redirected towards the federal contribution to the East-West Link.

“Many people that I’ve spoken to say they’re happy to pay a little more for petrol if that money is going to be put into country roads,” the ALP candidate said.

“But the federal government says it will use the funds raised as part of the Commonwealth’s contribution to East-West Link — a tunnel that people in the south-west will hardly use and a tunnel that a lot of people even in Melbourne don’t want.”

The Prime Minister told Federal Parliament last month the reintroduction of fuel excise indexation will cost the average family roughly 40 cents extra per week, an increase of about $20 annually.

The move will restore the twice-a-year indexation of fuel excise, which was frozen by the Howard government in 2001, with the first rise officially kicking in on Monday.