Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I'm surprised that the opposition don't think that's a good idea, sneering at the idea of freezing the price of Christmas hams. How concerned about the cost of living you are! The opposition might be surprised to hear this, but the traditional ham is a staple of any Christmas lunch in Australia. I would have thought you would have known that. It's time for supermarkets to do their part and say one thing we won't put up is the price of a Christmas ham. Guaranteeing a price freeze on ham would allow families to manage their budgets in the weeks leading up to the holiday, and I really would have thought that this was something that the opposition could get behind, but apparently not. It's always politics for them, not caring about the average Australian citizen who's trying to save some money.

Farmers also need certainty that they'll get a fair price from supermarkets. These supermarkets have been recording increased revenue and profits while households and farmers are feeling the pinch. For the average Aussie, it doesn't make sense that the price on the bottom of their docket at the supermarket is going up while these companies are recording massive profits—