1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,680 Speaker 1: We talk about teach me. On a Sunday morning, a 2 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: ten am, Nicholas out giving us the good word on supermarket. 3 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: She doesn't like the industry. She's been telling us this 4 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: for a year and a half. She's going to do 5 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: something about the industry. She's been telling us this for 6 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: about a year and a half. So Sunday was the day, 7 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: except it wasn't. It was yet another diatribe about what 8 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: needs to be done, what could be done, what might 9 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: be done. There were more threats, more possibilities, more questions, 10 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,440 Speaker 1: more investigations. It was also a speech of hopeless contradictions. 11 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: On one hand, she was telling us how hard it 12 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,479 Speaker 1: was to enter the market at scale, how big a 13 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: risk that was, and then she was telling us this 14 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: was a twenty four billion dollar sector, more than tourism 15 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: and dairy combined. And yet she clearly hasn't stopped to 16 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: ask herself, if it's that big, do you not think 17 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: anyone who could might have had a little bit of 18 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:46,840 Speaker 1: a look at the prospect of entering it. She talked 19 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: of a player being able to grab ten percent nationally. 20 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: That's over two billion dollars worth of business. You don't 21 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: reckon someone somewhere hasn't looked at the prospect of two 22 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: billion dollars worth of business. I thought, hmm, I wonder 23 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: if that isn't a bit of me to find out 24 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: why we don't have more competition. She has announced she 25 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: was launching yet another investigation. Then after six weeks she 26 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: may or may not get Cabinet to do something legislatively. 27 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,320 Speaker 1: If that happens, she wants to do it by the 28 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: end of the year and get it passed by the 29 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: end of the term i e. The end of next year, 30 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: So an entire term and government having literally not produced 31 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,679 Speaker 1: one more shop. As I've said all along, it may 32 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: be we are too small for another major player. Maybe 33 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: the niche players, along with the two giants are what 34 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: the market tolerates. But as for Nicola and a finger wagging, 35 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: if threats were results would be getting somewhere. If speeches 36 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: were shelves of well priced food, the issue would have 37 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 1: been dealt to. But for a government with an image 38 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: for more talk than action, she didn't do anything to 39 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: help that reputation. For more from the mic Asking Breakfast, 40 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: listen live to news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, 41 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio,