In short:
The Greens' research institute has called for a publicly owned supermarket chain to challenge Coles and Woolworths.
asserted
institute → call → Coles
The $25 billion pitch is inspired by a policy commitment by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
asserted
pitch → inspire → Mamdani
Greens leader David Shoebridge says the chain could be a solution to rising food prices.
uncertain
chain → say → prices
The Greens' official think tank has called for the forced sale of 200 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets to be converted into public grocers in a pitch to slash grocery bills by hundreds of dollars a month.
asserted
sale → call → dollars
Almost everybody is concerned by rising food prices, according to a YouGov poll of 1,500 voters commissioned by The Green Institute.
uncertain
everybody → rise → Institute
Petrol, insurance, healthcare and housing prices were rated as concerns for nearly nine in ten people surveyed, but food and grocery bills were the key cost-of-living issue with 94 per cent rating it a concern.
asserted
cent → rat → it
Three in ten voters said their mental health had suffered due to the cost of food, and four in ten said their household's diet was less nutritious than it was a year ago, or that they had skipped meals or eaten less due to grocery costs.
asserted
they → say → costs
The Green Institute's executive director Max Chandler-Mather said grocery prices have surged under a Coles and Woolworths "duopoly" raking in billions of dollars in profit.
asserted
prices → say → profit
According to the think tank's analysis of annual reports by the supermarket giants, Coles's supermarket earnings before tax had grown by 58 per cent since 2019, while Woolworths's had grown by 41 per cent.
uncertain
Woolworths → accord → cent
Meanwhile, essential goods like cooking oils, eggs, beef and milk had risen by 45 per cent and wages had gone backwards.
asserted
wages → rise → cent
Coles posted a $1.09 billion net profit for the most recent financial year, while Woolworths reported net profits of $1.14 billion.
asserted
Woolworths → post → billion
A report by the competition watchdog last year found the pair had increased profits in recent years and had little incentive to compete on price.
asserted
pair → find → price
It stopped short of calling those profits "excessive" and did not conclude that Coles and Woolworths held a duopoly.
asserted
Coles → stop → duopoly
Mr Chandler-Mather said a publicly owned grocer could force the supermarkets to be more competitive.
uncertain
grocer → say → supermarkets
"For half the cost of a single AUKUS submarine we could establish a national network of publicly owned supermarkets that would save families thousands of dollars on their groceries," he said.
uncertain
he → establish → groceries
"It is abundantly clear that Coles and Woolworths are some of the most profitable supermarkets in the world, and what they have done over the last five to six years is take advantage of an inflation and cost of living crisis."
asserted
done → do → crisis
The think tank proposed a $25.1 billion investment over five years to establish 200 "Fair Go Grocers" by forcibly acquiring stores from Coles and Woolworths, as well as three distribution centres, and to construct another 424 stores and 10 distribution centres across the country.
asserted
tank → propose → country
Stores would be run effectively at cost and would be cost neutral to the budget after the first five years of investment.
asserted
Stores → run → investment
The Green Institute said by avoiding the need to turn a profit the cost of essentials could be slashed by 30 per cent and grocery bills cut by hundreds of dollars a month.
uncertain
bills → say → dollars
"We thought the goal of Fair Go Grocers, our public supermarket, should be to reach 20 per cent of market share," Mr Chandler-Mather said.
asserted
Mather → think → share
"We think at that point that would allow Fair Go Grocers to function as an effective public competitor to drive down grocery and food prices
"
asserted
Grocers → think → prices
We need a much larger public intervention if we are going to fix this issue."
asserted
we → need → issue
Mr Chandler-Mather said anti-price gouging laws that began in July had done nothing to reduce grocery prices.
asserted
that → say → prices
Greens leader David Shoebridge said the idea of a publicly-owned supermarket with cheaper food should be considered.
asserted
idea → say → food
"When I talk to people I hear about the dread they feel heading down the supermarket aisle.
asserted
they → talk → aisle
The shopping trolley feels like pushing a boulder up to the check-out," Senator Shoebridge said.
asserted
Shoebridge → feel → out
"People want politics to be putting solutions on the table, not just saying it's all too hard.
asserted
it → want → table
"This is one of the solutions because it makes buying the essentials at the supermarket cheaper."
asserted
buying → make → supermarket
The Greens and Coalition both supported introducing divestiture powers last term that would allow the supermarket giants to be broken up if they were behaving uncompetitively.
asserted
they → support → powers
Break-up powers were opposed by Labor, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing them as an idea from "the old Soviet Union".
asserted
Albanese → break → Union
'Laser-like focus' on cost of living needed
The public grocer plan drew inspiration from a recent policy commitment by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to establish five affordable publicly owned supermarkets in the city that would offer 30 per cent discounts on essentials.
asserted
that → need → essentials
Mr Mamdani has become a blueprint for left-wing political groups after he upset the traditional Democratic establishment in New York City to win the mayoral race.
asserted
he → become → race
It was achieved through a grassroots campaign focused on public ownership of assets, universal childcare and free transit funded in part by raising taxes on wealthy residents and corporations.
asserted
It → achieve → residents
"Really, the question for not just political parties but our government right now is why aren't they doing the same?" Mr Chandler-Mather said.
asserted
Mather → do → same
"If the New York mayor can take bold action like establishing a chain of publicly-owned supermarkets then the Labor Party could be doing the same here."
uncertain
Party → take → same
The Green Institute pitch is its first major policy intervention since the former Greens MP took over as director.
asserted
MP → take → director
It also follows a leadership change in the federal Greens last week when Senator Shoebridge became party leader and Steph Hodgins-May his deputy following a contested ballot.
uncertain
May → follow → ballot
It prompted uncommon public venting by rivals Mehreen Faruqi, who said the choice should have been made by all members, and Sarah Hanson-Young, who said friendships had been "made and lost" in the "brutal" week.
asserted
friendships → prompt → week
Mr Chandler-Mather said with the leadership resolved the party must make sure its first concern is the cost of living.
asserted
concern → say → living
"Politics is always going to involve a little bit of argy-bargy.
asserted
Politics → go → bargy
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
