Senate debates

Tuesday, 26 November 2024

Questions without Notice

Grocery Prices

2:32 pm

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

I've taken that element of Senator Pocock's first question on notice, and I will come back with any information that I can provide. The Prime Minister has been dealing with this issue for some months. He's very keen to make sure that we are doing whatever we can to make sure shoppers are getting a fair deal at the supermarket.

You've already seen the investments we've given to the ACCC to make sure that they crack down on market conduct, including misleading and deceptive pricing practices, and we've seen some of the results of that with the work that the ACCC is taking through the courts. We have done the work on a new mandatory food and grocery code, as you have outlined, and we will legislate to enact multimillion dollar penalties. We've worked with the states and territories on planning and zoning for supermarkets. We're also looking at what further work can be done on shrinkflation, where customers are charged the same for less. The ACCC will be doing their inquiry into supermarkets, and we've given the ACCC stronger powers to scrutinise mergers, which is legislation before this place and hopefully we can pass it.

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