THE people of Mallee have a proactive Opposition promoting real action to fix the country’s cost-of-living crisis but a reactive, slow government.
One of the biggest factors hurting family budgets is the cost of putting food on the table thanks to skyrocketing grocery prices.
Many younger Australians and lower-income households spend up to one quarter of their net income on groceries, according to the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC).
The Albanese Labor government has failed Australian farmers and battlers alike.
Our farmers are held to ransom on farmgate prices and battlers struggle to afford groceries while Labor takes its sweet time addressing supermarket price gouging.
Fifteen months ago the Nationals offered bipartisan support to review the voluntary Food and Grocery Code of Conduct.
Instead, Labor were distracted by a $450 million referendum and when they finally agreed to a review, Labor took 100 days to appoint the reviewer: former Labor Minister Dr Craig Emerson.
Dr Emerson’s interim review report was released this week but Labor will wait until after his final report at the end of June to take any action.
For at least 11 weeks families will keep being stung at the checkout and farmgate prices will remain stagnant despite farmers paying increased input costs to grow crops and produce food and fibre.
Echoing what the Nationals proposed 15 months ago, Dr Emerson this week recommended a mandatory code of conduct for certainty and confidence across the supply chain, plus stronger financial penalties for non-compliance.
As Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton said this week, all options need to remain on the table, including divestiture – that is, forcing supermarket giants to sell off parts of their business that lessen competition.
The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have divestiture powers and both ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb and former Chair Allan Fels said a divestiture power would be useful as a last resort – with appropriate safeguards to protect consumers.
Labor needs to provide cost-of-living relief now, not kick the can down the aisle yet again.
