Andrew Gee (Calare, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion moved by the member for Kennedy. I commend him for bringing it to this House. I also commend the member for Kennedy and the member for Clark for introducing the Reducing Supermarket Dominance Bill 2024 in this House this morning. Those members have been ringing alarm bells on this issue for 10 years. They are true trailblazers, and now others are finally starting to listen. We want Australia to listen and we want all parties—all members of this House and those in the other place—to listen and to support our bill. It's very clear to everyone that right around this great country of ours supermarket giants have way too much market power. As the member for Kennedy so eloquently stated earlier, they have their snouts well and truly in the money trough and they are wallowing in massive profits. Things have to change. Farmers are being paid a pittance and consumers are being price gouged on the way through.

The member for Kennedy and the member for Clark recently dressed up as pigs in a lighthearted moment to draw attention to what is an extremely serious issue. It's an issue that just keeps getting worse. It's an urgent issue because we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, and this bill would do something about it. It's no good having members of parliament wring their hands and shake their heads about how terrible the cost-of-living crisis is, saying something must be done. Today all members of this House will have a chance to do something—to vote for this legislation to be debated and get through this House this afternoon and this evening.

This bill would make a real difference in reducing the market power of the supermarket giants, and it would limit the mark-ups they can put on goods like fruit and vegetables. In Orange, New South Wales, we once had hundreds of orchards around our district. Now we would have fewer than 30. It's because farmers have not been able to see a future in farming. Why is that? Because the returns have not been there for them; because they've been slowly but surely ground down by the supermarket giants. So we want all parties to support this motion and this important bill. Let's not just talk the talk about market power and how dangerous this great market power in the hands of the supermarket giants is; let's walk the walk and do something.

Recently the member for Kennedy came to Orange in the Central West of New South Wales to draw attention to this very issue—and, yes, there were a couple of pigs there, too, holding up a sign! During our press conference we were disgracefully interrupted by a National Party senator, who yelled pathetic insults at us. It was appalling and it was very disappointing. The National Party should be backing us on this bill. The Liberal and Labor parties should be backing us on this bill as well, as should the Greens. Australia is sick of the talk. We need action. Parliament exists not just to hold inquiries, not just to feel everyone's pain, but to pass the laws and take the action that will make life better for the people that we represent.

Today the member for Kennedy drew attention to the massive mark-ups the supermarket giants are putting on everyday items like potatoes. Our farmers are crying out for a fair go and a better deal, and so are consumers, who are at breaking point. Our communities have had enough. This legislation is a true game changer. It divests the supermarkets of their power, reducing it to 20 per cent over five years. It also limits the mark-ups they can put on those items like potatoes and cherries and everything else, as the member for Kennedy so eloquently spoke about.

If you're not prepared to back your big talk with a vote in parliament—this is to the major parties—then you're all just about the hot air and the porkies. We want the parties to back up their words with deeds. Stop talking and start walking the walk. We want everyone to vote for the Reducing Supermarket Dominance Bill and help get those supermarket snouts out of the trough. Vote for this bill and make— (Time expired)

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