Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The challenge for us is how to bring about greater competition and greater information for consumers—like on the question of petrol and like on the question of groceries. We stand on the side of consumers, as opposed to being on the side of big business—whether it is in the grocery sector or, in the case of ‘big oil’, whether it is in the petroleum sector. The figures show that over a decade there was a 3.9 per cent on average increase in excess of CPI in the price of food. Those opposite were in power for that period. Over the previous two years there was a 5.1 per cent increase in food compared with a CPI of 3.3 per cent. That was over the last two years. What did those opposite do about it? Nothing. In the 12 months to March 2008 food went up by 5.7 per cent. What did those opposite do about the price of groceries in that period of time? Nothing. The government actually stand for having a go. We stand for giving consumers some of the purchasing power within the marketplace which those opposite seem very happy extending only to those opposite. What we have here is a Liberal Party standing up for the distillery companies and alcopops, for the big oil companies when it comes to petrol prices and for the supermarkets when it comes to grocery prices. They stand condemned.

See this speech in context