Supermarket price probe to check out all options, says government

Former federal Labor Minister Craig Emerson has been appointed to lead a review into Australia's supermarket sector, amid claims of price gouging by the big chains. The concern is that there is a widening gap between what we pay in the supermarket and what supermarkets pay farmers.

Signage at a Coles supermarket in Sydney, Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Australia's second-biggest grocery chain, Coles Group Ltd, posted a sharper-than-expected fall in half-year earnings on Tuesday and said costs were rising faster than sales, sending its shares lower. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) NO ARCHIVING Source: AAP / JOEL CARRETT/AAPIMAGE

Concerns about the gap between supermarket prices and what farmers earn have been growing, even as grocery giants posted billion-dollar profits in 2023.

Nationals leader David Littleproud has been calling for an independent review of pricing arrangements between farmers and the Australian supermarket sector.

He says while the Senate is planning to look at supermarket pricing from February, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission might be more effective in looking at price disparities.