WEBVTT - Skipping meals, dumpster diving and cereal for dinner

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<v Speaker 1>So we actually started doing this back in I Reckon

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<v Speaker 1>about seven years ago when I started my PhD looking

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<v Speaker 1>at how food prices affect families in Australia. Because without

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<v Speaker 1>that data then you can't really go forward and advocate

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<v Speaker 1>to governments or anyone else to do anything about it

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<v Speaker 1>as an issue.

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<v Speaker 2>Dr Christina Zelbus has spent years digging down see when

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<v Speaker 2>and how the price of our food jumps. She and

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<v Speaker 2>her colleagues are responsible for one of the only public,

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<v Speaker 2>transparent databases on the price we pay for food.

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<v Speaker 1>We started tracking data right before the pandemic hit, and

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<v Speaker 1>then all of a sudden everyone was interested in the

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<v Speaker 1>database given that it's one of the only databases that

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<v Speaker 1>exists for public reasons.

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<v Speaker 3>And so since the pandemic is when we.

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<v Speaker 1>Saw some of the sharpest increases that we've seen in

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<v Speaker 1>the last two decades. We've seen spikes in for example,

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<v Speaker 1>like the price of lettuce and cucumber, a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>the greens category because a few years ago, when we

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<v Speaker 1>had the floods, a lot of those crops got wiped out.

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<v Speaker 1>So that sort of stuff tends to make sense when

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<v Speaker 1>you see it, But then when you look at other

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<v Speaker 1>things like milk, going up by thirty nine percent, or

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<v Speaker 1>chicken going up by fifty five.

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<v Speaker 3>Percent in a three year period when it had been pretty.

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<v Speaker 1>Stable before that. That's the sort of stuff that we

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<v Speaker 1>don't really have an explanation for.

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<v Speaker 2>And the priceykes of the last few years, they're changing

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<v Speaker 2>what we buy and how much we eat. At least

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<v Speaker 2>one study last year found one in three Australians it

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<v Speaker 2>struggled to afford to eat properly during the year.

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<v Speaker 3>Like, it's pretty shocking.

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<v Speaker 1>For the first time in the last couple of years,

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<v Speaker 1>people are buying less in that people are struggling to

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<v Speaker 1>actually just buy food in general in Australia, Like, you

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<v Speaker 1>can only imagine the anxiety of not being able to

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<v Speaker 1>feed your family. The person that always pops into my

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<v Speaker 1>head is a woman who told us that no one

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<v Speaker 1>should be disadvantad by the food that they have to

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<v Speaker 1>eat to be able to live in their house. But

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<v Speaker 1>at times you have to choose between food or your house,

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<v Speaker 1>or your warmth or internet for your children, and you

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<v Speaker 1>shouldn't have to. You should be able to do all

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<v Speaker 1>those things because we don't live in a third world country.

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<v Speaker 1>But sometimes parts of Australia feel like it is so

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<v Speaker 1>that is like how it hits on the ground for families,

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<v Speaker 1>and that is always sort of what motivates me for

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<v Speaker 1>doing my little part, because people are struggling and we

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<v Speaker 1>should never lose sight of that.

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<v Speaker 2>From Schwartz Media in seven am, I'm Ashlan McGee and

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<v Speaker 2>this is the cost inside the living crisis. It's budget week,

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<v Speaker 2>which means crunch time for the leaders tasked with tackling

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<v Speaker 2>how expensive Australia is right now. And the think we're

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<v Speaker 2>all talking about is our grocery bills. Why food seems

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<v Speaker 2>to cost more each time we visit the supermarket and

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<v Speaker 2>we no longer joke about instant noodles and baked beans.

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<v Speaker 2>Today National affairs correspondent for the Saturday paper Mike Second

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<v Speaker 2>on what some call the Great price gouge and whether

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<v Speaker 2>the government has the appetite to tackle it. It's Tuesday,

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<v Speaker 2>May fourteen, It's budget day.

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<v Speaker 4>Mike.

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<v Speaker 2>I think the time we all noticed the pain of

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<v Speaker 2>cost of living is putting food on a plate. So

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<v Speaker 2>talk to me about the kind of attention that we're

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<v Speaker 2>seeing on the price of food.

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<v Speaker 5>Oh well, it's it's just about everyone's discussion at the moment,

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<v Speaker 5>you know, in the supermarkets. There's a great deal of

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<v Speaker 5>public anger at the big supermarkets and how much prices

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<v Speaker 5>have gone up. You know, you hear it on radio

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<v Speaker 5>talk back, you see it in the TV vox pops

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<v Speaker 5>of shoppers.

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<v Speaker 6>You remember when calls us to do feed a whole

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<v Speaker 6>family of four for ten dollars.

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<v Speaker 7>You can't even get a bag of cheese for that

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<v Speaker 7>price anymore.

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<v Speaker 5>And for some reason, you know, in the last three

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<v Speaker 5>months of last year, according to the Bureau of Statistics,

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<v Speaker 5>food prices went up nine point two percent, which was

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<v Speaker 5>the fastest rate of growth and I think thirteen nine

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<v Speaker 5>years since from the third quarter of two thousand and six.

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<v Speaker 5>I'm pleased to say that in the first three months

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<v Speaker 5>of this year at the rate of rise was down

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<v Speaker 5>a lot, to three point eight But you know, those

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<v Speaker 5>previous increases are baked in. Food prices in particular have

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<v Speaker 5>been going up here more than in many comparable countries.

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<v Speaker 5>And part of the reason for this, according to many

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<v Speaker 5>economists and others, is that Australia has one of the

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<v Speaker 5>most concentrated grocery markets in the world. The two big players,

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<v Speaker 5>Coals and Woolies, hold between them about two thirds of

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<v Speaker 5>the market, and the politicians are onto this. You know,

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<v Speaker 5>we had the Independent Andrew wilk for example, saying that

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<v Speaker 5>it was simply unconscionable that Coals and Woolworths were raking

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<v Speaker 5>it in while Australians had to choose between rent and food.

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<v Speaker 6>Hard to go. And I was second the motion that

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<v Speaker 6>government must do something about grocery prices because it is

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<v Speaker 6>simply unconscionable at Woolworst and Cold rake it in while

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<v Speaker 6>Australians go hungry or struggling so hard to pay for

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<v Speaker 6>roof over their head.

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<v Speaker 5>The Prime Minister Anthony Albanez he said earlier this year

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<v Speaker 5>that it was quite clear that the supermarkets had excessive

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<v Speaker 5>market power.

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<v Speaker 8>Our government is prepared to take action to make sure

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<v Speaker 8>that Australians are not paying one dollar more than they

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<v Speaker 8>should for the things that they need.

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<v Speaker 5>Both the Greens on the left and the Nationals on

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<v Speaker 5>the right have advocated the divestiture, the breakup of the

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<v Speaker 5>big players. You know that they should have to sell

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<v Speaker 5>off some of their stores to new competitors to increase competition.

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<v Speaker 5>So what's the government doing. They announced a review of

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<v Speaker 5>what was called the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct,

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<v Speaker 5>which is a voluntary code that the grocery business all

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<v Speaker 5>signs up to. It's meant to keep the prices of

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<v Speaker 5>food fair in Australia and to prevent the retails from

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<v Speaker 5>exploiting their customers on the one hand, but particularly their suppliers.

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<v Speaker 5>And then second inquiry, their Triple C. The Competition Watchdog

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<v Speaker 5>has launched an inquiry and finally we've just seen the

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<v Speaker 5>end of a month's long Senate inquiry led by the Greens.

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<v Speaker 5>It's provided one of the best insights we've had yet.

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<v Speaker 9>All Right, I've declared open this hearing of the Senate

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<v Speaker 9>Select Committee on supermarket prices. I want to acknowledge.

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<v Speaker 5>So at the heart of the Senate inquiry, I guess,

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<v Speaker 5>was the big question of whether the supermarkets are price gouging.

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<v Speaker 5>The supermarkets themselves of course deny that they are, and

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<v Speaker 5>price gouging itself is not explicitly illegal, but it's a

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<v Speaker 5>claim that an overwhelming number of people, including the people

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<v Speaker 5>conducting the Senate inquiry, think was worth interrogating.

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<v Speaker 2>So Mike, tell me what actually happened at this inquiry.

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<v Speaker 2>What are we here?

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<v Speaker 5>Well, it might be worth starting with what happened when

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<v Speaker 5>the supermarkets themselves got hauled in.

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<v Speaker 6>I'm Brad BENDERCI and I'm the CEO of Wilworth's.

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<v Speaker 9>Thanks, mister Bandage. I now invite you, if you wish

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<v Speaker 9>to make a short opening statement.

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<v Speaker 5>People might be familiar with Brad Banducci, the Woolworth CEO,

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<v Speaker 5>by the time he got called to the inquiry, had

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<v Speaker 5>already had a chakra a year. He walked out on

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<v Speaker 5>an interview with the Four Corners program, and shortly after

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<v Speaker 5>that he announced that he was resigning from his role early,

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<v Speaker 5>taking his millions and moving on. It's probably fair to

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<v Speaker 5>say that Banducci is not very used to this level

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<v Speaker 5>of public scrutiny and is not a very good performer

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<v Speaker 5>under pressure, because he was asked by Nick mckimm to

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<v Speaker 5>toll the inquiry. How profitable will this was?

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<v Speaker 4>Cannuse clarify the question?

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<v Speaker 9>Sorry, senator, Well, I'm after your ria, your return on equity?

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<v Speaker 5>Here is the return of funds employed?

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<v Speaker 4>Or which is in respect we look at return investments.

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<v Speaker 9>Are you struggling with the ordinary English language meaning of

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<v Speaker 9>the words that I'm using in my questions.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm focusing on corporate finance, Senator.

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<v Speaker 5>And that's what this finally got so heated with Banducci

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<v Speaker 5>refusing to provide a figure for return on equity that

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<v Speaker 5>McKim threatened to find him in contempt and put him

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<v Speaker 5>in jail.

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<v Speaker 9>There's no context to this question apart from the context

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<v Speaker 9>where you are giving evidence to a Senate committee and

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<v Speaker 9>it is opened to the Senate to hold you in

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<v Speaker 9>contempt and imprison you for up to six months if

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<v Speaker 9>you do not comply with an order of this committee.

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<v Speaker 9>That is the context.

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<v Speaker 5>Eventually, Benducci conceded that he just didn't know the figure

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<v Speaker 5>that WILS measured its profitability by other measures other than

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<v Speaker 5>return on equity. The inquiry allowed him to take the

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<v Speaker 5>question and notice. But that isn't all that's been heard. Obviously,

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<v Speaker 5>We've been hearing from people who are struggling. During the

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<v Speaker 5>first of the public hearings, we heard from advocates who

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<v Speaker 5>said that people were telling them they were skipping meals,

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<v Speaker 5>that they couldn't afford to eat three times a day anymore.

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<v Speaker 4>Members of our community who were nurses have reached out

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<v Speaker 4>to us and said they're studying full time, they're working

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<v Speaker 4>as nurses, and they're also like having to go to

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<v Speaker 4>the bins to get food.

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<v Speaker 5>We heard about young people who were dumpster diving, you know,

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<v Speaker 5>jumping into bins to find food and essential items like

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<v Speaker 5>toiletrees and sanitary pads. We also had evidence from the

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<v Speaker 5>people who supply the big supermarkets, particularly farmers, saying that

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<v Speaker 5>they were being screwed down by the supermarkets who were

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<v Speaker 5>sort of setting unreasonable prices for their produce, prices at

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<v Speaker 5>which the farmers could not make ends meet. Essentially, my

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<v Speaker 5>full name is Michael Badcock and all one farmer who

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<v Speaker 5>appeared before the inquiry. He was a semi retired cabbage

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<v Speaker 5>and couliflower farmer. He claimed that other farmers weren't speaking

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<v Speaker 5>up for fear of the backlash from the supermarket duopoly.

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<v Speaker 6>A lot of these bis act like little hitlers, and

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<v Speaker 6>if you upset them, you're going to suffer.

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<v Speaker 5>And ashland. The inquiry also heard some pretty interesting research

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<v Speaker 5>which laid out exactly how and when supermarkets raised their prices,

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<v Speaker 5>and how those price hikes have changed how Australians eat,

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<v Speaker 5>and how we're continuing to.

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<v Speaker 2>Coming up after the break. What happened when Christina Zorbis

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<v Speaker 2>took her database of food prices to the Senate Inquiry. So, Christina,

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<v Speaker 2>you and your colleagues were actually asked to give evidence

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<v Speaker 2>to the inquiry into supermarket prices. What is that they

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<v Speaker 2>like and what did you want to get on the record.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I guess when you deal with politicians, you never

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<v Speaker 1>know which way it's going to go. But they listened

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<v Speaker 1>to everything we had to say. We gave them a

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<v Speaker 1>presentation and all the evidence, but they asked a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of questions around, you know, how we create better transparency

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<v Speaker 1>in the supermarkets, what the health impacts are of rising

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<v Speaker 1>food prices. And I don't know if you saw any

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<v Speaker 1>of the drama around the Klog CEO coming out and

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<v Speaker 1>saying we should be eating breakfast cereals for dinner because

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<v Speaker 1>it's a more affordable option.

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<v Speaker 7>It turns out that over twenty five percent of our

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<v Speaker 7>consumption is outside the breakfast occasion, a lot of it's

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<v Speaker 7>at dinner, and that that occasion continues to grow, as

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<v Speaker 7>well as a snack gay occasion. But cereal for dinner

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<v Speaker 7>is something that is probably more on trend now and

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<v Speaker 7>we would expect to continue as that consumer is under pressure.

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<v Speaker 1>Funnily enough, we had done an analysis in response to

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<v Speaker 1>that showing that Kellogg cereals had gone up by like

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<v Speaker 1>forty percent in the couple of years, so it's quite

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<v Speaker 1>ironic that they're coming out and saying, you know, buy

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<v Speaker 1>our products, it's more affordable than buying a meal. But

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<v Speaker 1>at the same time they're not doing anything to absorb

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<v Speaker 1>any costs and passing those onto consumers too. So, you know, Australia,

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<v Speaker 1>compared to other countries like the UK, our policies are

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<v Speaker 1>so much weaker when it comes to food, like it's

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<v Speaker 1>pretty crazy. Globally, we actually don't perform very well at all.

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<v Speaker 1>But the senators involved in the inquiry were very diverse,

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<v Speaker 1>from diverse backgrounds. You had the Independence, you had Labor senators,

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<v Speaker 1>the Green senators, and they collectively really were interested in

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<v Speaker 1>the topic. So I really commend all of them for

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<v Speaker 1>putting their brains together to try tackle what is a

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<v Speaker 1>very complex issue.

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<v Speaker 2>So, Christina, how have we ended up in this situation

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<v Speaker 2>where you reckon our food policies are so much weaker

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<v Speaker 2>than other countries and whose responsibility is it to fix

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<v Speaker 2>it now?

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<v Speaker 3>Question?

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<v Speaker 1>And I think my question is anyone really taking that

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<v Speaker 1>role and doing it seriously? Traditionally we know like supermarkets

0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:14.040
<v Speaker 1>and food industries are really big proponents of self regulation,

0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:16.680
<v Speaker 1>so they say we can do it on our own,

0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:20.319
<v Speaker 1>don't worry, like, give us a guideline that's not mandatory

0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:23.800
<v Speaker 1>and will decide whether we do it or not. We

0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:27.000
<v Speaker 1>don't need the government to step in, So that tends

0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:31.240
<v Speaker 1>to be what happens. And at a food industry level

0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:34.640
<v Speaker 1>and a supermarket level, we have one of the most

0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:38.920
<v Speaker 1>concentrated sectors in the world. It just means that in Australia,

0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:42.600
<v Speaker 1>supermarkets can set the playing field and set the rules.

0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:45.080
<v Speaker 1>So these guys have a lot of money and a

0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:48.960
<v Speaker 1>lot of power. Like on the international retail stage, they're

0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:52.800
<v Speaker 1>always up the top end in delivering profits.

0:12:53.440 --> 0:12:56.840
<v Speaker 3>So that is different to other countries.

0:12:56.960 --> 0:12:59.679
<v Speaker 1>Like I have a Greek background, so every time I'm

0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:02.720
<v Speaker 1>in Green the retailers are just different.

0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:03.440
<v Speaker 3>They're smaller.

0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:06.760
<v Speaker 1>You go to one city, there's one, another city there's

0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:11.640
<v Speaker 1>another one. And Greece pretty much went out bold and said,

0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:13.800
<v Speaker 1>you know, we need your price lists.

0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:15.199
<v Speaker 3>We need you.

0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:19.760
<v Speaker 1>To keep one item in any product down, like you

0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.240
<v Speaker 1>can't go inflate everything. There always needs to be one

0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:25.640
<v Speaker 1>type of bread that's affordable and at a real minimum cost.

0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:29.040
<v Speaker 1>And in other countries like France, I think they've actually

0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.000
<v Speaker 1>said we're gonna find you if you don't comply and

0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:36.360
<v Speaker 1>you keep doing dodgy things with your food prices. So

0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:40.920
<v Speaker 1>I don't know. In Australia, like I just struggle to

0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:43.800
<v Speaker 1>ever see that becoming a reality because we've had such

0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:49.240
<v Speaker 1>little action and little regulation to date. But where my

0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:54.480
<v Speaker 1>skepticism sort of comes forward is that we have seen

0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:59.120
<v Speaker 1>so many inquiries in the food space, and we actually

0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:02.200
<v Speaker 1>have so many did use at the moment, and I

0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:04.600
<v Speaker 1>still don't see people's lives getting better.

0:14:09.200 --> 0:14:12.400
<v Speaker 2>And so, Mike, there's a performative aspect to all of this,

0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:15.480
<v Speaker 2>but it also sounds like there's a real spotlight being

0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:17.960
<v Speaker 2>shown on this issue and we're hearing a lot of

0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:21.800
<v Speaker 2>concentrated evidence. But does anything actually change out of this?

0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:24.120
<v Speaker 2>Does anything actually happen out of this inquiry?

0:14:24.200 --> 0:14:24.440
<v Speaker 4>Now?

0:14:24.880 --> 0:14:25.160
<v Speaker 1>Well?

0:14:25.320 --> 0:14:29.440
<v Speaker 5>As to whether supermarkets were price gauging their customers, according

0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:32.640
<v Speaker 5>to the Senate Committee, the answer was yes. That's the

0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:34.720
<v Speaker 5>short answer. The longer answer, of course, took one hundred

0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:38.160
<v Speaker 5>and ninety five pages to tell, and it went across pricing,

0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:43.080
<v Speaker 5>the impact on customers, food waste, the supermarket's relationship with suppliers,

0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.360
<v Speaker 5>wages and conditions for workers. So it was pretty broad

0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:49.400
<v Speaker 5>and it made some major recommendations but at this point

0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:52.720
<v Speaker 5>it's hard to say what else, if anything, it will

0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:56.440
<v Speaker 5>mean for everyday Australians and the prices we pay. And

0:14:56.480 --> 0:14:59.080
<v Speaker 5>there seems to be broad agreement among the political parties,

0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:01.920
<v Speaker 5>at least rhetorically, that something needs to be done, but

0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:04.400
<v Speaker 5>big difference is on what it is and what it

0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:07.840
<v Speaker 5>looks like. At any rate, the Albanezy government does not

0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:12.120
<v Speaker 5>support many of the recommendations. It does not support, for example,

0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:16.040
<v Speaker 5>the idea of busting up the big supermarkets. So at

0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:19.240
<v Speaker 5>this stage the major action that we can see agreement

0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:22.680
<v Speaker 5>on is making the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct mandatory,

0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:27.040
<v Speaker 5>which might help suppliers but not so much shoppers. And

0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:28.840
<v Speaker 5>you know, it's not likely we're going to see any

0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:32.080
<v Speaker 5>unity on the other recommendations either, so you know, while

0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:35.800
<v Speaker 5>the debate continues. And meanwhile, the immediate question for people

0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:39.640
<v Speaker 5>who are struggling to pay for their groceries is how

0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:44.480
<v Speaker 5>do you afford to eat well? And perhaps we should

0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:46.560
<v Speaker 5>go then I guess to the other side of the equation,

0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:50.400
<v Speaker 5>which is things like income support other cost of living

0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:53.520
<v Speaker 5>relief that may free up a bit more money so

0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:56.800
<v Speaker 5>that these people can afford to spend more on their groceries.

0:15:57.360 --> 0:15:59.240
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so it sounds like the government might have a

0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:02.720
<v Speaker 2>little more appetite part in the pun for that sort

0:16:02.720 --> 0:16:07.120
<v Speaker 2>of tinkering in the budget. But with the Treasurer getting

0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:10.120
<v Speaker 2>up and delivering the budget tonight, what else will they

0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:12.920
<v Speaker 2>try to do to kind of put a little pressure on,

0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:15.760
<v Speaker 2>to tip the scale a little in the favor of consumers.

0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:18.240
<v Speaker 5>I wouldn't make the point that even before the budget,

0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:22.160
<v Speaker 5>the government has been very supportive of wage rises for

0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:25.560
<v Speaker 5>the lowest paid and some of those have flowed through,

0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:27.400
<v Speaker 5>and so they will make it easy to put food

0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:30.680
<v Speaker 5>on the table, I would suggest. But you know, you're right.

0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:33.720
<v Speaker 5>They can't directly affect food prices, but they could offset

0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:35.880
<v Speaker 5>the costs in other areas, you know, which would ease

0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:39.600
<v Speaker 5>the burden. For example, last year's budget included something like

0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:43.680
<v Speaker 5>three billion dollars in power bill relief. It's quite likely

0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:45.840
<v Speaker 5>we'll get a second round of that, not that the

0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:49.160
<v Speaker 5>punters seem to notice, particularly last year when they got

0:16:49.200 --> 0:16:52.280
<v Speaker 5>that relief. Of course, this may well be the last

0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:55.960
<v Speaker 5>budget before the next election, not necessarily a bit probably,

0:16:56.040 --> 0:16:58.360
<v Speaker 5>and it's certainly going to be setting the tone. So

0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:00.560
<v Speaker 5>this is not just an economic problem for the country.

0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:03.320
<v Speaker 5>It's also political problem for the government. It's a very

0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:06.320
<v Speaker 5>fine line that they have to walk between providing some

0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:09.200
<v Speaker 5>kind of cost of living relief and not setting inflation

0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:12.720
<v Speaker 5>running again. So yeah, in summary, I guess you would

0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:14.520
<v Speaker 5>say the government is not going to be able to

0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:17.399
<v Speaker 5>do anything directly about the price of our groceries. But

0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.000
<v Speaker 5>I think there will be some stuff in the budget

0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:21.960
<v Speaker 5>that will open up a little space so we will

0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:24.520
<v Speaker 5>have more money that we can spend on those groceries.

0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:40.760
<v Speaker 2>Thanks so much of your time, Mike Pleasure Ashland Chairs. Also,

0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:43.679
<v Speaker 2>in tonight's federal budget there will be a surplus, but

0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:46.160
<v Speaker 2>it'll be smaller than last year at nine point three

0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:50.000
<v Speaker 2>billion dollars. Some economists have been urging the government to

0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:52.760
<v Speaker 2>spend more rather than banking money in this budget given

0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:56.440
<v Speaker 2>the economic climate. Last year surplus was about twenty two

0:17:56.480 --> 0:18:00.440
<v Speaker 2>billion dollars. And the Federal Court has decided Elon masks

0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:03.400
<v Speaker 2>X is no longer required to hide videos of last

0:18:03.400 --> 0:18:07.080
<v Speaker 2>month's Sydney church stabbing. The court denied an application from

0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:10.360
<v Speaker 2>the e Safety Commissioner to extend a ban which Masked

0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:14.000
<v Speaker 2>argued was a breach of free speech. That's all from

0:18:14.040 --> 0:18:16.320
<v Speaker 2>us for today. Thanks for listening. We'll see you again

0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:16.760
<v Speaker 2>tomorrow