The Rudd government promised a petrol price blowtorch but delivered a feather at the Jeddah oil meeting, the opposition says.

On June 8, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called for the Group of Eight nations to deliver a "blowtorch" to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in a bid to raise production rates.

VIDEO:  Oil summit seeks answers to crisis

IN-DEPTH: Fuel & Food crisis 

But Energy Minister Martin Ferguson took a different approach when he attended a weekend emergency meeting in Jeddah, hosted by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.

Rather than press for increased output Mr Ferguson called on OPEC to push countries to open "stranded" oil reserves.

Mr Ferguson also called for more investment in technology to ensure more efficient crude production.

"They promised a blowtorch and delivered a feather," opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt told reporters today.

"The minister didn't raise a squeak when it came to oil production.

"They squibbed it. They over-promised, they under-delivered."

West Australian Liberal backbencher Wilson Tuckey delivered a backhanded compliment to Mr Ferguson.

"Apparently Martin Ferguson was too sensible to repeat his leader's idea that he could put the blowtorch on OPEC," he told reporters.

Opposition's small business spokesman Steven Ciobo said it was clear the government wasn't doing anything to reduce fuel prices, while small independent retailers would struggle under the planned FuelWatch program.

"What is clear is that Labor's plans to bring down petrol prices have been a fraud right from the outset," he said.

The government has promised to introduce the controversial FuelWatch scheme by the end of the year.

It will provide the prices of petrol at service stations across metropolitan and major regional areas.

The government says that will inform motorists and give them choice about where to buy petrol.

Liberal backbencher Wilson Tuckey said the government had clearly made no progress on easing fuel prices.

"Apparently Martin Ferguson was too sensible to repeat his leader's idea that he could put the blowtorch on OPEC," he told reporters.

"Australia occasionally has the right to take a high profile in international diplomacy, but when it comes to money we don't bat very high in the ranks.

"I just thought it was silly. And Martin Ferguson, amongst other things, is not silly. Please remember it was he who told his leader he shouldn't be proceeding down the FuelWatch road and quite properly so."

Labor MP Amanda Rishworth said negotiations were still under way in Jeddah.
"We are talking on the world stage about petrol prices," she told reporters.

"This is not something that one country can fix, and we have got to keep working at it to make sure that people have as much competition as possible at the petrol pump," she said.

Liberal MP Peter Slipper said skyrocketing petrol prices were a major problem for the Rudd government.

"Seventy-five per cent of the community believes that the government has failed comprehensively," he told reporters.

"The only way to reduce the price of fuel at the bowser promptly here is by cutting fuel tax as the opposition has called for."

The opposition's small business spokesman Steven Ciobo said it was clear the government wasn't doing anything to reduce fuel prices while small independent retailers would struggle under the FuelWatch program.

"What is clear is that Labor's plans to bring down petrol prices have been a fraud right from the outset," he said.

Greens leader Bob Brown says he is not surprised the Jeddah oil talks have achieved little.

Oil cartels and oil-producing nations had run the world's oil policy for years, while corporations were increasing their profits and some people struggled to buy food, he said.

"What I am surprised at is that the world hasn't taken a stronger stand in converting to alternatives much faster than we're seeing," Senator Brown said.

While high petrol prices were expected to lead to a drop in consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, this was not a good thing, Senator Brown said.

Politicians had not built a fast, efficient public transport system, so punters had no alternative to driving and were trapped by high petrol prices.