Thursday, 4 December 2025

 Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (10:11): I want to shout out Price Check Guy on social media, who created a free browser extension that tracks Coles and Woolworths prices. Did you know that if you are part of the supermarket duopoly Coles and Woolworths you can call something a ‘Black Friday deal’ even if the item was cheaper the day before? Take, for example, Finish ultimate dishwasher tablets, which were listed as a Black Friday sale by Woolworths yet were $5 cheaper the day before. A tin of NAN toddler formula, a bottle of Cetaphil baby wash and shampoo, and a punnet of strawberries or cucumbers – I could go on – were all cheaper to buy in the weeks before they were listed as Black Friday deals at a higher price point. People are already struggling; they are budgeting. Especially over this Christmas period, they should be able to trust that a sale is legitimate. But even after a legal challenge – from the ACCC, no less – about their fake discounts and increased public scrutiny, Woolworths still feel confident ripping off the community. It is only because of the community that we have any semblance of transparency, with people taking photos of price tickets – people like Price Check Guy on social media. Check him out. Why are we relying on the community to expose price gouging? The Greens want this government to make price gouging illegal.