Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks after ACCC announces supermarket court action

The ACCC is taking Coles and Woolworths to court alleging the supermarkets misled customers in discount promotions.

Transcript

00:00My government has said that we would take action to make sure that Australians are not paying

00:05one cent more than they should when they go to a supermarket.

00:10We continue to deliver.

00:12Today we're launching the exposure draft of our new Mandatory Food and Grocery Code

00:17as well as the amendments to legislation that we will introduce into the Parliament this year.

00:24We're launching the exposure draft so that we can ensure that there's full transparency

00:31about where the government intends to head.

00:34Of course, previously there's been a voluntary code.

00:37Quite clearly, that has not been good enough.

00:40And that's why we commissioned former Minister Craig Emerson to make recommendations to the government

00:47and this is a fulfilment of those recommendations.

00:51The legislation that we would introduce would mean that Audi, Coles, Woolworths and Metcash

00:58would face multi-million dollar penalties for serious breaches.

01:02We know there's more to do and my government wants to make sure that Australian consumers get a fair go.

01:09When families are doing it tough, they need a government that's on their side.

01:14But they also need a tough consumer cop on the beat.

01:18And today the ACCC has alleged that Woolworths and Coles temporarily increased

01:23the prices of 266 Woolworths products and 245 Coles products for short periods of time

01:32before placing them on prices dropped and down-down promotions.

01:37These are serious allegations that the ACCC is bringing before the courts.

01:43If this is found to be true, it's completely unacceptable.

01:47This is not the Australian spirit.

01:50Customers don't deserve to be treated as fools by the supermarkets.

01:55They deserve much, much better than that.

01:58My government takes today's announcement by the ACCC very seriously.

02:03As it's before the courts, I would be inappropriate to comment further.

02:07But we will examine as the courts are able to deliberate.

02:14Shoppers are on the hunt for discounts when they do their weekly grocery shop

02:19because every dollar matters when people get to the checkout.

02:22Advertised discounts need to be genuine each and every time.

02:27Specials need to be real because household budgets are tight.

02:31And I welcome the ACCC standing with supermarket shoppers.