Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKim for the supplementary. It is illegal for businesses to fix prices or collude with other businesses.

It is also illegal for businesses to mislead customers about pricing. The ACCC is already inquiring at our instigation—we are the first government to do so—into supermarket prices, and we will consider their recommendations. I would also note that, in terms of the Greens political party's policy on divestiture, which some over there have dabbled with and are dancing with as well, Dr Emerson looked at this in his review and he found that it could actually make things worse, not better. He wrote:

If forced divestiture resulted in a supermarket selling some of its stores to another large incumbent supermarket chain, the result could easily be greater market concentration.

It's a classic Greens response. Go for the headline; don't do the hard work that actually underpins and makes the change.