Page 1596 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 7 May 2013
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for people with a disability in our community and that, in many ways, they rightly deserve stronger support.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
ACT Supermarket Competition Policy—Select Committee (Seventh Assembly)
Report—government response
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for Tourism and Events and Minister for Community Services) (10.15): For the information of members I present the following paper:
ACT Supermarket Competition Policy—Select Committee (Seventh Assembly)—Inquiry into ACT Supermarket Competition Policy—Government response, dated May 2013.
I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
I present the government’s response to the report of the Select Committee on ACT Supermarket Competition Policy—Inquiry into ACT supermarket competition policy. The government wishes to thank the members of the committee for their report, along with those members of the community who took time to make submissions.
Supermarkets play a role in almost everyone’s daily life. Notwithstanding the popularity of markets and specialist food retailers, most people have some sort of routine connection with supermarkets. The select committee inquiry process demonstrated the Canberra community’s continuing interest in these businesses, which range from small independent operators through to some of the largest corporations in Australia.
A lot has changed since the release of the Martin report in 2009 and the government’s subsequent release of its supermarket competition policy implementation plan in 2010. Accordingly, the government’s response to the select committee’s report and recommendations reflect this new environment.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has a new chairperson, and it has been widely reported across Australia that the ACCC is taking a more critical view about competition in the supermarket sector than it had previously. The government commends this apparent shift in direction. Incidentally or otherwise, the two major national chains are now offering more aggressive price competition for at least some goods.
Locally, in May 2010 the government announced a package of new supermarket sites to be released at Dickson, Casey, Amaroo and Kingston, which was intended to address the undersupply of full-line supermarket floor space in central Canberra and Gungahlin, this being identified in the Martin report. The sites are currently at various
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