Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens conducted a comprehensive survey to learn more about people's lived experience of shopping at Coles and Woolworths. We heard from nearly 5,000 people, and the findings and what they told us are alarming and truly shocking. They reaffirm the need to take on the supermarket duopoly. An overwhelming 90 per cent of respondents have witnessed significant price hikes at Coles and Woolworths, and this has had a profound impact on everyday people, with 37 per cent of the people who responded to our survey now spending more than $100 extra on their weekly groceries compared to just two short years ago.

The consequences of these increases are dire. Nearly half the people we heard from have had to make significant adjustments to their household budgets to cope with the rising cost of food and groceries. A staggering 56 per cent are buying fewer fruits and vegetables; 35 per cent are going without essential items; and, alarmingly and shockingly, a third of people we heard from are now skipping meals to be able to afford food and groceries for themselves and their families.

These figures lift the lid on alarming, staggering stories of distress and hardship for millions of Australians. People are being forced to compromise on their health and wellbeing while supermarket corporations are raking in billions of dollars in profits. Corporate greed is eroding the basic living standards of millions of Australians. The Greens are committed to tackling these issues head on, and we will haul those CEOs in at the Senate inquiry and hold them—