Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

We have heard many times that these are strategies that are really aimed at protecting consumer rights. They are not. They are about protecting supermarket profits. The reality is very simple. Despite the intense competition on a small number of products, the two major food retailers enjoy some of the highest profit margins in the developed world. They are achieving this by pushing costs and risks onto manufacturers. So we should not delude ourselves that home brands are about expanding choice. They are about constraining choice. They take up the same shelf space as fully branded products, and what we are seeing now are opportunities being pursued by the major chains to destroy brands and trademarks and consumer loyalties. They are about crippling firms, deterring new investments, eroding capabilities and undermining manufacturing jobs in this country. These raise very serious concerns. (Time expired)