Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. In May you and the Treasurer made it clear that cost-of-living relief was your No. 1 priority when building the budget. We know Australians are feeling the pressure on their household budgets, and one of the key budget pressures for Australians is the weekly grocery shop and the cost of food at the supermarket. Can the minister please outline what the government is doing to address cost-of-living pressures, including at the supermarket checkout?

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

Thank you very much, Senator Walsh. I thank you for your question and for the focus that you bring to the cost of living and alleviating cost-of-living pressures on Australian households. We understand, very much, that Australians are under cost-of-living pressure and that a lot of that pressure is being felt at the checkout. Anyone who does their shopping has seen how prices have increased over the last 18 months. That's why we commissioned Dr Craig Emerson to review the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct to make sure it is protecting suppliers and encouraging a competitive grocery sector that delivers a fair deal for Australians.

The review found that the current voluntary code is failing to address the imbalance of bargaining power between supermarkets and their suppliers, including farmers, so we are acting immediately. We're strengthening the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct and accepting all recommendations of the independent review into the code. This will mean cracking down on anti-competitive behaviour in the supermarket sector so Australians get fairer prices at the checkout, including: making the code mandatory for all supermarkets with an annual Australian revenue of more than $5 billion; commissioning consumer group CHOICE to provide quarterly price reporting; strengthening formal and informal dispute resolution arrangements; introducing penalties for the more harmful breaches of the code, with the maximum penalty being the greatest of $10 million, three times the benefit gained from the contravening conduct or 10 per cent of turnover of the preceding 12 months; creating an anonymous supplier and whistleblower complaints mechanism within the ACCC; placing greater emphasis on addressing fear of retribution; and improving outcomes for suppliers of fresh produce.

This is all about getting a fair go for families at the checkout and a fair go for farmers for their produce. Our plan supports competition, puts downward pressure on prices and gives Australians more choice. This is what a government that's focused on the cost of living looks like in action through the work that we have been doing on— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, first supplementary?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. It's great to hear about how the government is prioritising cost-of-living relief for Australians. Another key budget measure was a $300 energy bill rebate for every Australian household and one million small businesses. Can the minister please explain why the government decided it was important to include this energy bill relief in the budget?

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

Thank you, Senator Walsh, for the supplementary. We know Australians are doing a tough, which is why we're not just acting on grocery prices. We are also looking at ways to ease household budgets, and the relief on energy bills does just that. We'll ensure that beneficiaries of our new energy rebates and our tax cuts are households right across Australia. Those come into effect in just seven days time. We're providing $3½ billion in new energy relief, starting on 1 July. Every Australian household will begin to see a $300 credit automatically applied to their electricity bills, and around one million small businesses will receive $325 off their bills over the 2024-25 year. This new power bill relief doubles the number of eligible households from five million to more than 10 million households.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, second supplementary?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. Energy bill relief will make a significant difference for households and small businesses in my home state of Victoria. Can the minister please explain why a move away from the government's plan to provide cleaner and cheaper energy for all Australians is a risk to every Australian household budget and will add to cost-of-living pressures?

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

Well, the contrast couldn't be starker between our plan—our commitment to cleaner, cheaper energy for all Australians—and the risky nuclear reactor gamble of those opposite. From 1 July we're taking $300 off your power bill—real relief starting in seven days time. What are those opposite promising? In two decades—that's right, two decades, or 20 years—Mr Dutton, if it is left to him, will serve up the most expensive form of energy there is and then ask you to pay for it. Unlike those opposite, we understand power prices are a serious issue. Meanwhile, Mr Dutton won't tell Australians how much you'll pay to build his nuclear reactors, how much expensive nuclear reactors will add to your bill or how many nuclear reactors there will be in the Australian community. Meanwhile, the Smart Energy Council's analysis has shown that building the seven nuclear reactors could cost as much as $600 billion of taxpayers' money. (Time expired)