Frequent allegations of price gouging during the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis that followed prompted the federal government to direct the ACCC to investigate Australia's supermarkets last year. The report, which has just been released, was unable to conclusively say whether Woolworths and Coles were actively price gouging. However it did identify that with increased profit margins, they are among the most profitable supermarkets in the world. Market concentration is an issue, with Woolworths making up 38% of all supermarket grocery sales nationally, while Coles has 29%. This means limited choice for consumers and dependency for suppliers. “Greater competition is needed to bring prices down”.

Other key criticisms were that pricing strategies (such as cyclical "high-low" discounting) confuse shoppers about the "real" price of a product, and that the disproportionate shrinking of package sizes deceives customers ("shrinkflation").

If you’re concerned about market concentration and want to avoid the Big 2:

• Use the IGA or Foodworks store locator to find and shop at independent supermarkets near you. These are supplied by Metcash, an Australian-owned company with a 7% grocery market share. (Alternatively, shop at ALDI. They are German-owned, and hold 10% of grocery market share.)
• Use the Local Harvest website to find fresh food at farmers markets and food co-ops near you.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is encouraging Australians to buy local products after the U.S. imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, stating, "That’s the one way consumers can assist to create jobs here and support our local industries". Buying Australian-made products supports the economy, ensures high quality and safety standards, and promotes sustainability by reducing transportation needs. (read more)

We have added “Find Australian Made products” banners to 39 product types (eg. Vitamins, Dog Food, Skin Care), allowing users easy access to find products that carry the Australian Made logo. When shopping:

• check labels for country of origin, prioritise products with the highest Australian ingredients and those labeled "Made in Australia" or "Australian Made".
• look for the Australian Made Logo, which is part of the Australian Made Campaign.
• explore locally made, handcrafted goods on online marketplaces like Make It Collective.

With the Australian election fast approaching on May 3rd, it’s more important than ever to know who’s funding our political parties. The website democracyforsale.net, which pulls together data from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), reveals donations made by companies to Australia’s major political parties between 1998 and 2023. (For the U.S. equivalent, see opensecrets.org)

Want to dig deeper? This month’s free sample search lets you uncover which consumer-facing companies have been opening their wallets to influence our democracy—knowledge worth having before you head to the polls! Follow the links to the AEC’s Transparency Register, then click on “Named on the following annual returns as providing funds to:” to see exactly which parties a company has backed.