Tuesday, 17 October 2023

 Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (16:53): Prices are going up and people are struggling while big corporations like the supermarket duopoly are profiteering. This government claim that they cannot do anything about it – that it is not their problem. Here are four things the government could be doing right now to lower prices for everyone: (1) declare groceries a regulated industry to give the Essential Services Commission the power to prevent supermarket profiteering through price controls on essential items, (2) re-establish an office of prices so the government is on the side of everyday Victorians and is working with the community to deter excessive price rises with the power to monitor, investigate and expose excessive price rises across different industries, (3) appoint a minister for fair prices to lead efforts across government to stop unfair price hikes, to take on profiteering corporations like the supermarket duopoly and to ensure the government can be held to account and (4) support an inquiry into food affordability to look at ways to lower the cost of food and make sure that everyone has access to healthy, affordable food here in Victoria. The government has the power to act; it is choosing not to. Victorians desperately need direct government intervention to stop unfair price hikes.