Bandt says Greens policy ‘adopted’ by Albanese – as it happened
Bandt says ‘another day, another Greens policy adopted’ by Albanese after Labor’s price-gouging pledge
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, says he was getting ready to go for a run on Sunday morning when he heard Labor was adopting a plan to outlaw price gouging by supermarkets – and he was happy about it.
Another day and another Greens policy that the prime minister has adopted. Their first step is to say no and then they adopt them. And we take that as a really good sign.
Bandt says the Greens have already introduced a bill to parliament that defines price gouging.
It’s about when these supermarkets are abusing their power and ripping off customers. That’s basically what it boils down to. And other countries have laws that can that say really clearly when supermarkets are just abusing their power and ripping off customers, then they should be fined for it.
The Greens leader says that any fine should “depend on the size of how much they’re ripping people off”.
These supermarkets are making billions of dollars of profits. The fines do need to be high to make sure that the supermarkets listen. But even more than that, what the Greens want to see is the supermarkets know that they could be broken up as well if they keep on abusing shoppers and abusing their market power, that’s where the penalty should be.
Key events
What we learned: Sunday 30 March
And that’s where we’ll leave you tonight, and for this week. Here’s a snippet of what we learned today:
-
Anthony Albanese promised that a re-elected Labor government would make price-gouging illegal in Australia, promising heavy fines where supermarkets step out of line.
-
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, says Labor has been copying Greens’ policy with its announcement.
-
The supermarket giants have pushed back against Labor’s pledge on price gouging, saying the ACCC’s inquiry had not concluded they were engaging in the practice.
-
Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson said the Coalition would also support a ban on price gouging, saying “we’re happy to make it illegal”, while Peter Dutton attacked Anthony Albanese as being “weak as water” on the issue.
-
Albanese says his government has “been continuing to engage constructively with the US administration” on the tariffs issue.
-
Labor has lifted its electoral fortunes but remains set to fall one seat short of a majority government, according to a new YouGov poll.
-
Dutton refused to commit to Australia hosting a future COP on the issue of climate change, saying Australia can’t afford it right now.
-
Greenpeace responded to Dutton’s comments ruling out a Cop, saying it’s a “betrayal of the Pacific”.
-
The Reserve Bank is expected to leave rates on hold at its next meeting despite the expected negative impact of more US tariffs on Australia’s economic growth.
-
A series of flood warnings remain in place on Sunday for vast areas of Queensland and NSW after days of rain, while WA residents are urged to remain alert as ex-Tropical Cyclone Diane moves inland bringing heavy rainfall.
-
A search continues for an elderly man washed into flood waters after he drove a caravan into a flooded causeway.
See you back here again, bright and early tomorrow morning, for more live news. Look after yourselves until then.
Albanese campaign touches down in Perth
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Anthony Albanese’s campaign has touched down in Perth for his first visit to WA of the federal election campaign.
WA has been a Labor stronghold ever since former premier Mark McGowan closed the border at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, delivering Albanese four extra seats (Swan, Pearce, Tangney and Hasluck) at the 2022 election.
Although McGowan has retired and pandemic-era politics are now a distant memory, his successor Roger Cook’s thumping state election victory showed the Labor brand remains strong.
In contrast, the Liberals – which were almost wiped off the map at a state and federal level – continue to struggle, winning just seven of 59 seats at the 8 March state poll.
The question for Albanese and opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is how much of the state result will translate to the federal election.
Dutton’s best hopes of gaining ground in WA are in Kate Chaney’s seat of Curtin, the Labor-held seat of Tangney and the new electorate of Bullwinkel.
Police are investigating after a man’s body was found on the Hume Freeway, north of Albury this morning.
Emergency services were called about 4.50am today after reports of a man lying on the road, NSW police said in a statement.
On arrival, officers were told the man had been hit by two cars. The 21-year-old died at the scene. He has not yet been formally identified.
Two drivers, a man and a woman, were taken to hospital for mandatory testing. A crime scene was established and investigations continue.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Greenpeace: Dutton’s refusal to commit to Cop31 a ‘betrayal of the Pacific’
Greenpeace has responded to Peter Dutton’s comments that Australia can’t afford to host a future Cop on the issue of climate change, saying it’s a “betrayal of the Pacific”.
Shiva Gounden, head of Pacific at Greenpeace Asia Pacific, said in a statement:
Peter Dutton’s refusal to commit to hosting Cop31 is more than just a political decision – it is a betrayal of the Pacific, a region where climate change is not a future threat but a present and relentless crisis. For our islands, every moment of inaction brings rising seas, stronger storms, and the heartbreaking loss of land, culture, and identity.
Cop31 is not just another conference; it is a platform for the voices of those living on the frontline of this emergency, a moment for Australia to prove that its partnership with the Pacific is more than just words. Any Australian government must understand that hosting Cop31 is not optional – it is a moral responsibility. Turning away from this commitment is turning away from the Pacific’s future, from the families fighting to stay above water, and from the global effort to secure a livable planet for all.
Kate Lyons
South Australia’s domestic violence disclosure scheme provides relief and freedom
When Sophie* attended a domestic violence disclosure meeting with South Australian police and a domestic violence support worker, she was curled in on herself and could barely speak.
Her friend, who accompanied her as a support person, had been the one to apply on Sophie’s behalf to the disclosure scheme, which allows victims of family violence to be told of their partner’s history of violent crimes, so that Sophie could find out information about her partner.
After a screening process, with Sophie’s consent, and under strict confidentiality arrangements, police were able to meet with Sophie, and tell her that her partner did in fact have a history of reported violent behaviour toward a former partner.
After hearing this news, Sophie’s transformation was remarkable.
“She began to weep,” the caseworker wrote in their notes of the meeting.
It was evident that [she] realised, in that moment, that she was not responsible for his use of violence towards her … This information had a profound impact on [her] as her entire physicality changed.
Read the full story here:
Further to the previous post, Coles has also responded to Labor’s election promise, with a spokesperson saying:
Despite a 12-month inquiry into supermarkets, neither the government or the ACCC found evidence of price gouging.
What’s needed are measures that tackle the real factors driving higher grocery prices, which are rising costs such as energy, fuel, labour, insurance, production, freight and distribution.
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) on Sunday called the announcement “a distraction from the broader community and business policies Australians deserve during an election campaign”.
ARA’s chief industry affairs officer Fleur Brown said:
The ACCC’s findings clearly states that grocery inflation has been driven higher by the cost of wages, energy and fuel. Yet instead of hearing how the government will address these issues which significantly affect all Australian retailers and consumers, we unfortunately see more taxpayer-funded deflection.
The ARA calls on government to focus on policies that drive down the cost of doing business in Australia, which will have a direct impact on grocery prices and the cost of living for Australian families.
Woolworths reject claims of price gouging
The supermarket giants have pushed back against Labor’s pledge on price gouging, saying the ACCC’s inquiry had not concluded they were engaging in the practice.
A spokesperson from Woolworths Group said they had explained to the 12-month inquiry into the supermarket sector that “economy wide inflation was impacting our suppliers and our business and … we are always working to deliver value to our customers.”
The spokesperson continued:
Following this year-long inquiry into supermarkets, the final report found no evidence of price gouging.
We fully understand that customers want us to make it easier to find value, especially as they remain under immense cost of living pressure.
We recognise our customers have experienced several years of significant inflation, with an escalation in the cost of mortgages, rent, transport, insurance, energy, food and many other household essentials.
Year on year prices in our Australian Food business have now declined for four consecutive quarters, as noted at our F25 Half Year Financial Result.
We play an important role in the lives of millions of Australians, more than 200,000 team members, and our suppliers.
As we said following the release of the ACCC report, where no evidence of price gouging was found, we have already taken action on many of the report’s recommendations to improve the experience and transparency for customers and suppliers.
Dutton shows his caring side
Opposition leader Peter Dutton wrapping up a speech at an Assyrian community event in Sydney where he has just finished telling a story about his time as immigration minister, where he sat with an Syrian family whose visa he approved. That decision, he said, allowed the family to flee persecution from Syria and start a new life in Australia.
It was a chance for the opposition leader to show another side given that he has invested so much time over the years, and even during this campaign, in talking up how many deportations he has carried out during his time in politics.
Contamination fears: supermarkets pull popular products
Stepping away from politics for a moment, five supermarket chains have pulled dozens of products from their shelves, warning customers of a potential health risk.
Coles has pulled more than a dozen products from its shelves across much of Australia and is urging customers to seek medical advice if they have consumed the items and feel unwell.
The pre-packed spinach was included in 17 items sold across Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, NSW and the ACT, as well as some products in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Woolworths, Aldi and Metcash Australia, which runs IGA and Drakes supermarkets, have also issued recalls in recent days.
The Coles salad products, with use-by dates up to and including 9 April, might contain microbial contamination.
The Coles products were sold between Thursday, 20 March and Saturday, 29 March.
Customers can return the products for a full refund.
The major retailer said.
We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience.
– AAP
Josh Butler
AFP says it won’t stop public from ‘attending political events’
We’ve got a statement from the AFP on the recent protests at Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton’s campaign events, with police saying it’s not their responsibility “to interfere with democracy” or stop the public from attending political events.
Albanese had a heckler at his press conference yesterday, while green group Rising Tide interrupted two of Dutton’s events with protests against his gas and nuclear plan. So far today, we haven’t had any protests or interruptions.
Dutton earlier claimed some protesters had “fake IDs” getting into his events, and praised the AFP response.
We reached out to federal police for a comment. An AFP spokesperson told us that their “responsibility is to maintain the safety of the principal (parliamentarians/high office holders) and preserve their dignity”.
It is not the responsibility of the AFP to interfere in democracy or stop members of the public from attending political events.
The AFP works closely with state and territory agencies to ensure the balance is right.
