Consumer group Choice has called for the establishment of a supermarket ombudsman, saying it would help solve issues relating to competition and fairness.
“There is a need for real leadership on resolving supermarket issues in Australia – rip-off prices, endemic unfairness and the lowest level of competition possible,” Choice chief executive Nick Stace told News.com.au.
“There is a need for government to seriously consider a bold and robust policy that will bring about real change, not the window shopping currently taking place.”
Stace said Australia has the tenth-highest food inflation out of 30 OECD countries for the year ending September 2009, and something must be done.
“These are industry-specific problems, which economy-wide regulators have been unable or unwilling to tackle head on… It will go on like this for another 100 years unless radical and bold action is taken.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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