MATTHEW PANTELIS:
Stephen Jones, Assistant Treasurer, on the line. Mister Jones, good morning.
STEPHEN JONES:
Matthew, good to be back with you.
PANTELIS:
How long before this comes into play?
JONES:
Look, we’ve got to draft some new laws, but we want to see it up and running as soon as possible. Of course, there’s nothing at all which is stopping the major supermarkets from moving ahead of the legislation and doing this on a voluntary basis. Australians just want a fair go at the shopping trolley, at the supermarket. We’ve all seen, you know, the package is getting smaller and the prices getting bigger – everything from cereal to hot cross buns. And, you know, I just think it’s time that, you know, we put the customer first, we put the Australian family first. And as you said in your introduction, you know, what’s the price per litre? What’s the price per gram? What’s the price per millilitre. So, that people can compare one product with another and know exactly how much they’re paying?
PANTELIS:
Is this on the back of the ACCC taking legal action against Coles and Woolies? Is that what’s prompted this?
JONES:
What’s prompted us is Australians actually being fed up to the back teeth with the rorts. Whether it’s really tricky, too smart by half pricing tricks – jacking up the prices before you lower them slightly and say it’s a big sale, or whether it’s other deceptive and misleading conduct, people have just had enough of it. They’re paying too much at the supermarket, they want to get a better deal. Everyone’s struggling with cost of living, so across a range of areas, the Prime Minister’s leading a bunch of initiatives. So, more competition, better enforcement of existing laws and an uplift in the law to ensure that transparent pricing so people know what they’re paying for.
PANTELIS:
And you’re right with the bigger font, because while most of us can read the large print saying how much the basic cost is, if you want to drill down, and it is there, it’s on the label on the shelf, you know, I’ve got to fish out the reading glasses, slip them on and see what I’m buying per 100 mLs, or whatever the case may be. And you want to compare between products because you want the best deal.
JONES:
No one wants to have to get down on the hands and knees and pull out their binoculars to work out what the unit price is of a can of soup or a carton of milk. So, these things should be readily available for customers to see so that Australians can see what they’re paying for. And, you know, this really sharp practice of shrinking the package and jacking up the price has got to stop.
PANTELIS:
Well, that’s manufacturers more so than supermarkets, isn’t it? I mean, okay, some produce their own name brands and whatever, but for a lot of it, it is the – you know, I don’t want to single out Cadbury’s, but I reckon a block of chocolate feels like it’s been getting smaller for the same amount.
JONES:
Well, my standard unit of measure is the wagon wheel. They seemed a lot bigger when I was a kid than they are now. But you’re right across a whole range of things this has been going on. Fewer lollies in the packet, smaller packets. And detergent is another one where this has been going on. Significant drop in the amount of content in a detergent bottle, in a washing material bottle, all of these sorts of things. Yep, manufacturers have got a role here, but so do the supermarkets. The supermarkets exercise a lot of control over all of these things, including the packaging, often. So, they’re a key link in the chain. A point I do want to make, Matt, because I’ve had some of the employees of supermarkets make this point to me. Don’t take it out on the poor staff in the aisles or on the counter. They’re just doing their job. People are right to get angry, but send your emails and your messages concern through to the boss, not to the poor workers on the front line.
PANTELIS:
Yeah, very good point. All right, appreciate your time this morning Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones. Thank you.
JONES:
Good to be with you. Cheers.