1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Now, tougher grocery labeling rules could be introduced in a 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 1: bid to crack down on shrink flation, which is, for instance, 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: cleaning products, breakfast cereals some staples that are impacted by 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: this shrink flation. A manufacturer makes an item smaller but 5 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: charges the same amount. The federal government considering an overhaul 6 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: of labeling rules in a bid to make the practice 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: more obvious. AT wants to make the unit price more 8 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: visible on supermarket shelves so you can compare, for instance, 9 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: how much something costs per liter, or per kilo, or 10 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: per hundred grams or whatever it might be. The figure 11 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: is often shown in dollars per kilo and gives a 12 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: clear indication of an item's value. So the government looking 13 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: at forcing supermarkets to use larger font and more consistent 14 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: units and introduce tougher penalties for those who don't comply. 15 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: Good idea, I reckon. Stephen Jones, Assistant treasurer on the line, 16 00:00:58,040 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: mister Jones. 17 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 2: Good morning, few, Good to be back with you. 18 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: How long before this comes into play. 19 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 2: Look, we've got to draft some new laws, but we 20 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 2: want to see it up and running as soon as possible. 21 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 2: Of course, there's nothing at all which is stopping the 22 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 2: major supermarkets from moving ahead of the legislation and doing 23 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 2: this on a voluntary basis. Australians just want a fair 24 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 2: go at the shopping trolley at the supermarket. We've all seen, 25 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 2: you know, the package is getting bigger and the smaller 26 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 2: and the price is getting bigger, everything from cereal to 27 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 2: hot Cross buns. And I just think it's time that 28 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 2: we put the customer first, We put the Australian family first. 29 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 2: And as you said in your introduction, what's the price 30 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 2: per leader, what's the price program, what's the price per 31 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 2: Miller leader, so that people can compare one product with 32 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 2: another and know exactly how much they're paying. 33 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: Is this on the back of the a triple ce 34 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: and taking legal action against Coles and Woollies' Is that 35 00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: what's prompted this, what's. 36 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 2: Prompt Australians actually being fed up to the back teeth 37 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 2: with the roots. Whether it's really tricky too smart by 38 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 2: half pricing tricks, jacking up the prices before you lower 39 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 2: them slightly and say it's a big sale, or whether 40 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 2: it's other deceptive and misleading conduct. People have just had 41 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 2: enough of it. They're paying too much at the supermarket. 42 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 2: They want to get a better deal. Everyone's struggling with 43 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 2: cost of living, so across a range of areas, the 44 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 2: Prime Minister's leading a bunch of initiatives, more competition, better 45 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 2: enforcement of existing laws, and an uplift in the law 46 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 2: to ensure that transparent pricing so people know what they're 47 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 2: paying for. 48 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: And you're right with the bigger font because while most 49 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: of us can read the large print saying how much 50 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: the basic cost is, if you want to drill down 51 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: and it is there, it's on the label on the shelf. 52 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: But you know I've got to fish out the reading glasses, 53 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: slip them on and see what I'm buying for one 54 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: hundred mills or whatever the case may be. It's and 55 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: you want to compare between products because you want the 56 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: best steal. 57 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 2: No one wants to have to get down on the 58 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 2: hand and pull out their binoculars to work out what 59 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 2: the unit price is of a can of soup or 60 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 2: or a cart and a milk. So these things should 61 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:19,119 Speaker 2: be readily available for customers to see, so that Australians 62 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 2: can see what they're paying for, and there really sharp 63 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 2: practice of shrinking the package and checking up the price 64 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 2: has got to stop. 65 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: Well, that's manufacturer's more so than supermarkets, isn't it. I Mean, okay, 66 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: some produce their own own name brands and whatever, but 67 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: for a lot of it, it is the manifest. I 68 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: don't want to single out Cadbury's, but I reckon a 69 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: block of chocolate feels like it's been getting smaller for 70 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: the same amount. 71 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 2: Oh look, my standard unit of measure is the wagon 72 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 2: oil a lot bigger when I was a kid. But 73 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 2: you're right. Across a whole range of things, this has 74 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 2: been going on. Fewer lollies in the packet, smaller packets, 75 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 2: and detergent is another one where this has been going on, 76 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 2: significant dropping the amount of content in a detergent bottle, 77 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:17,160 Speaker 2: in a washing material bottle, all of these sorts of things. Yep, 78 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 2: manufacturers have got a role here, but so do the supermarkets. 79 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 2: The supermarkets EXAs exercise a lot of control over all 80 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 2: of these things, including the packaging often so they're a 81 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 2: key link in the chain. A point I do want 82 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 2: to make, Matt, because I've had some of the employees 83 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 2: of supermarkets make this point to me. Don't take it 84 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 2: out on the poor staff that the in the aisles 85 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 2: or on the counter. They're just doing their job. People 86 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 2: are right to get angry. It's injury emails and your 87 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 2: message of concern through to the boss, not to the 88 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 2: poor workers on the front line. 89 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, very good point. All right, appreciate your time this morning, 90 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 1: Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones. Thank you. 91 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 2: Good to be with it. 92 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: Cheez on supermarket shrink flation.