NSW Farmers in Australia have welcomed today's announcement by the Albanese Government that, if re-elected, it will crack down on price gouging by major supermarkets. However, the organisation warns that further action is necessary.
The Albanese Labor Government has pledged to make price-gouging illegal, acknowledging that farmers "deserve a fair price for their goods."
The president of NSW Farmers, Xavier Martin, said the proposed crackdown is long overdue but emphasised that more comprehensive reforms are needed to rein in the power of the supermarket giants.
"NSW Farmers has led the campaign for years to hold supermarkets accountable. All Australians pay more because of their behaviour," Mr Martin said.
"Even though the ACCC identified our supermarkets as the most profitable in the world, they were unable to join the dots to gouging, whilst farmers get a pittance and consumers pay record prices.
"Today, the Treasurer announced moves to 'deliver a better deal for farmers at the farm gate,' but it shouldn't take an election to get politicians moving. It is critical that price gouging is clearly defined to prevent supermarkets from wriggling off the hook.
"Strong penalties must be core to a strengthened competition framework."
While Mr Martin welcomed the renewed political focus, he said tackling price gouging was only the first step. He called for greater transparency in the supply chain, structural reforms to improve competition, and the introduction of divestiture powers to break up supermarket oligopolies engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.
"There's a burning need for commodity-specific Codes of Conduct—particularly in the poultry sector—to drive fairer outcomes for farmers," he said.
"Farmers and the wider Australian public have had enough of Coles and Woolworths' greedy behaviour," Mr Martin concluded.
© NSW FarmersFor more information:Eliza Fessey
NSW Farmers
Tel: +61 0427 411 220
Email: fesseye@nswfarmers.org.au
www.nswfarmers.org.au