Supermarket Price Inquiry was released last week from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), accusing Woolworths and Coles of operating within an “oligopoly” and engaging in practices which disadvantage both their customers and suppliers.

"This came just days after the ACCC announced it had commenced separate legal proceedings against both Coles and Woolworths for allegedly misleading consumers through discount pricing claims on hundreds of products.

The Nationals have been calling for supermarket reform since 2022 and in 2023 we called for the ACCC to be directed to start an urgent price inquiry before Christmas. Labor repeatedly ignored our warnings for more than 12 months before finally announcing powers for an ACCC inquiry in late January this year. This interim report vindicates our calls for greater penalties on Australia’s supermarket sector.

Introducing divestiture powers, $2 million infringement notices and a Supermarket Commissioner is what’s needed to change the supermarkets’ culture." says MP Mark Coulton.