WATCH: Leader of the National Party David Littleproud slams Woolworths and Coles during press conference about cost of living.
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00:00 I guess the irony of having, you know, there are clearly people in the park today that
00:04 are homeless, have walked past their mam and his dog and whatnot.
00:07 And then on the other hand, we're looking at, you know, a supermarket giant like Woolworths
00:11 and they've profited $1.62 billion in the last financial year.
00:17 I guess my question is, what are the nationals, like if you're back in government, back in
00:23 the driver's seat, what are you willing to do in terms of that basic right to food and
00:28 groceries?
00:29 Well, we already did it.
00:30 In the last couple of weeks, I've been calling on the government to have a ACCC price inquiry
00:35 into meat.
00:36 Now they're saying they're doing a broader ACCC review.
00:39 That goes into the architecture of competition policy.
00:41 This is a specific inquiry into the cost of food and particularly meat.
00:46 When you're seeing a 70% reduction in sale yard prices compared to an 8% reduction at
00:51 the supermarket, someone's cleaning up and that's Coles and Woolworths.
00:55 And they got form on this.
00:56 They did this during COVID.
00:58 The former ACCC chair said quite clearly that they were doing it during COVID.
01:03 And now Alan Fells last week came out and said what the nationals are asking for about
01:07 a acute inquiry into the cost of food is necessary.
01:11 And this is why we've got to square up with the supermarkets.
01:14 We're going to support the government.
01:15 I've already put a submission to the government around broader architecture of competition
01:19 policy for supermarkets.
01:21 And that's something that we can work on and we'll be collaborative with the government
01:24 if they want to take our hand on that.
01:26 But we need something to happen here and now.
01:28 Not in two years' time but here and now.
01:31 And that's why this short, sharp inquiry would compel the supermarkets to turn up and would
01:35 actually have the ability to do something before Christmas.
01:39 Not wait until we get a report back on these inquiries that the government's doing but
01:43 to get it in the here and now.
01:45 And that's the important thing that these people are feeling now.
01:48 But it's also about getting your energy bill down and understanding that they're spiralling
01:52 out of control.
01:53 And that's linked to your food bill as well.
01:56 So this is where common sense needs to prevail.
01:59 Rather than just flooding money into the economy for a small cohort of the economy where everyone
02:04 hurts, you actually pull the policy levers that bring down and drive down the inflationary
02:09 pressures.
02:10 Because discretionary spending stopped.
02:12 If you look at what's driving inflation at the moment, we've stopped going to Gerry Harvey,
02:15 we've stopped buying the TVs, but our fixed costs are still going up, which is our food
02:20 and our energy.
02:21 And they are intertwined.
02:22 Processes costs have gone up but they haven't gone up that much that coals and woolies aren't
02:25 cleaning up.
02:26 And this is where, where is the CEOs of coals and woolies?
02:29 They've gone hiding.
02:30 They won't front up and front any media and say why their prices are still exorbitant.
02:36 Meat prices should wash through for grain fed within 90 days.
02:39 With grass fed it should have fed through within a matter of weeks.
02:43 And we are six months down the track.
02:45 Where's the government?
02:46 Where's the ACCC?
02:47 Let's use some common sense.
02:49 Admit they've got to do something about this to the government.
02:51 I've said this to charmers, just take our hand, run with an inquiry into meat prices
02:55 and food prices and let's give some relief now before Christmas.
03:00 Recently in Orange, coals across the country as well installed self-service exit gates
03:05 to sort of protect against, they say shoplifters.
03:08 Do you see this as a problem moving forward in terms of people losing jobs, people not
03:13 being able to be employed as I said in this time of financial crisis?
03:17 I think what coals and woolworths need to understand is while they're big, they're still
03:21 going to appreciate, particularly in regional areas, we still like the comfort of seeing
03:25 someone's face and interacting with people.
03:29 And that's why I've always been a big fan of the family independent grocery store or
03:34 any small business that are out there that gives service.
03:36 That's the difference that Australians should expect.
03:40 This is coals and woolworths simply slashing whatever cost they can to put to their bottom
03:45 line.
03:46 Their suppliers are being done over every day of the week.
03:49 If they want to have a moral compass, if they want to live up to the social licence of them
03:54 operating this country, then they should have transparency from the farm gate right through
03:59 to the checkout and everything they do, rather than the platitudes that they put out there
04:04 in cost of living or whether it be the voice or anything else.
04:08 This is where coals and woolworths have lost their way, as well as the big jam in it, if
04:11 we're going to be honest about it.
04:12 to be able to do that.
04:14 [BLANK_AUDIO]