Thursday, 19 October 2023

Cost of living

Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (14:24): My question is to the Premier. Premier, the rising cost of food and groceries means many people just simply cannot afford the basics. Whilst prices are going up, supermarkets are increasing their profit margins at the same time. Governments around the world are taking action and pressuring supermarkets to lower their prices, yet the Victorian government, despite having the powers to act, has so far chosen not to. Why hasn’t the government called in the supermarkets and demanded they lower their prices or face the consequences?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:25): I thank the member for Prahran for his question. The government does have a number of areas where we provide support for families feeling the cost-of-living pressures. Subsequent, successive and repeated interest rate rises have put pressures on households right across the state. We do have a difference of opinion, I must say to the member for Prahran, in terms of the levers that the government has in regard to regulating supermarket pricing. Given that supermarkets operate across state borders, it goes to competition policy powers, and it more appropriately sits with the federal government.

But we are taking action. In terms of the member for Prahran raising the issue of pressures that families are feeling in terms of cost of living, there are a significant range of actions we are taking to support families, like through the huge amount of work that the energy minister has undertaken. There are electricity discounts, winter gas discounts and there is the Victorian default offer – that is a great new initiative that is about making sure that we can put downward pressure on those electricity retailers to make sure that Victorians get the best offer. There are utility relief grants as well. And of course there is the Solar Homes program. Supporting people across the state to be able to put solar panels on their roofs – we know that that is an important action, real action on climate change, but it is also providing support for households.

I can go on – there are many other areas. In schools, for example, whilst others might have cut areas like the education maintenance allowance, cut the School Start bonus and cut Fresh Fruit Friday, as we have heard on a number of occasions, we are providing additional support for kids in schools, particularly with the initiative that has been funded again in terms of the tutor learning program that is run through our schools – a really important initiative for families. There is also of course free kinder, which is such a great initiative as part of the transformative reform that is being undertaken in early years education. The free kinder element of that is critically important for families. As we are expanding 15 hours of three-year-old kinder and 30 hours of four-year-old kinder across the state, we are also, as part of that program, rolling out 50 childcare centres – 50 Victorian government-run childcare centres – which will provide more access to child care for families. It means parents, particularly mums, can get back to work part time or full time, but also puts pressure on childcare fees. There is a much longer list, but they are just some of the actions we are taking.

Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (14:28): My supplementary question goes to the differences of opinion that the government says it has with the Greens on its powers to take on the supermarket duopoly. The state government has significant powers. It can pressure supermarkets, it can investigate and expose unfair price hikes, it can set a target ceiling for price rises, it can even –

Members interjecting.

Sam HIBBINS: I will tell you what: they might learn something if they listen, Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order! Through the Chair!

Sam HIBBINS: It can even regulate prices to prevent profiteering. In fact all these actions were taken by a previous Labor government, a Labor government that you thought so highly of that you named an arena after, as just mentioned by the minister for sport.

The SPEAKER: Order! Through the Chair, member for Prahran.

Sam HIBBINS: So I would ask: is it the government’s view that it cannot act, or is it simply a case that it will not act?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:29): If only it was so easy to grant sense. I appreciate the supplementary question – it goes to actions we are taking – because there are more actions we are taking, member for Prahran, in terms of supporting families with the cost-of-living pressures, and actual actions, not theoretical ones that you might be wanting to read out.

Sam Hibbins: On a point of order, Speaker, it is not for the Premier to rephrase the question to a question that they want to answer. The question went to the heart of the actions that the government can take to take on the supermarket duopoly – practical actions that I have outlined.

The SPEAKER: Is your point of order with regard to relevance?

Sam Hibbins: It is related to relevance. I would ask you to draw the Premier back to answering the actual question.

The SPEAKER: I would ask you to be succinct in your points of order. The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: The very last part of the member’s question was calling us to act, calling on the government to act, and that is exactly what we are doing. In the time I have available I am happy to talk about the transport area, where we have made regional fares the same as metro fares – those $10 regional fares that mean the member for Murray Plains can get on the train tonight from Melbourne and go all the way through to Echuca.

Peter Walsh interjected.

Jacinta ALLAN: Well, for you it’s not – it’s $5, my friend, but it’s $10 for everyone else. We are providing a range of supports to help families with the cost of living. (Time expired)