Big promise to stop grocery prices rising

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has officially promised to split supermarket giants and create divestiture powers for supermarket giants that abuse their market power.

Mr Dutton announced the Coalition’s party position just 30 minutes before Tuesday’s question time session, saying the rules would give more fairness to farmers and consumers.

“People know when they go to the checkout now it’s just getting harder and harder,” he said.

“We also know that the situation in Australia at the moment is that there’s a massive concentration of market share. within Coles and Woolies, (and) there are complaints understandably from farmers and suppliers and many others in the supply chain.

“Equally there are many complaints validly made by consumers as well who are worried about what it means when they go to the checkout with ever increasing prices.”

Big promise to stop grocery prices rising

Nationals Leader David Littleproud said it was a “deterrent” to ensure both farmers and consumers were treated fairly, with a scaling range of penalties if supermarkets did the wrong thing.

He said the Coalition’s policy stance would result in greater fairness to farmers, suppliers and customers.

“This isn’t about fixing prices, and it won’t mean that tomorrow or when we get into government we’re going to break up the supermarkets straightaway,” he said.

“It’s a deterrent to make sure they work within the regulatory guide rails.”

Mr Littleproud said the opposition would introduce a “supermarket commissioner” to work with farmers and fast track complaints to the ACCC.

“Their role will be one that allows them to work with suppliers, farmers who feel aggrieved with the dealings they’ve had with supermarkets to come forward, and either conciliate that with farmers and the supermarkets openly,” he said.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said divestment powers and the higher-level penalties could only be applied by a court of law.

It must also pass the “public interest test” to ensure it doesn’t result in job losses or cause a significant loss of shareholder value.

“These are important safeguards and they’re the sort of balance that we see in a sensible competition regime,” he said.

The Greens, which have also been backing divestiture, said it was time the government got on board.

“(Labor needs) to read the writing on the wall, understand that people are hurting at the supermarket checkout and Labor needs to shift its position, join the growing chorus led by the Greens,” he said.

Treasurer slams ‘another half-baked’ policy

Treasurer Jim Chalmers used question time to ridicule not only the Coalition’s announcement, but the timing of it.

“Now this is the usual half-baked announcement that’s been rushed out to try and cover up for the last half-baked announcement, which was the nuclear reactors that they don’t have a cost for,” Mr Chalmers said.

“Now, if those opposite really asked about supermarkets, really cared about supermarkets or competition or inflation, they would have asked us about it today.

“The announcement was only made just before question time, and they couldn’t even get around to asking about it, Mr Speaker.

“And that’s because they are hopelessly divided on this question. The shadow Treasurer has been rolled.”

Post-script to return of Assange

The cross-party group of MPs and senators who lobbied for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been formally dissolved following his return to Australia last week.

Ending his 14-year pursuit by US authorities, Mr Assange pleaded guilty to one count of violating US espionage laws in exchange for his freedom and return to Australia.

He returned to Australia on a private jet on Wednesday night, acknowledging supporters who lined up to greet him at the Fairbairn RAAF base, but did not make a statement.