Thursday, 19 October 2023

Cost of living

Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (12:31): (317) My question today is to the Attorney-General. Price gouging by supermarkets is a key driver of the cost-of-living crisis, and we currently see the prices for food and other essentials are through the roof. The Cain Labor government in the 1980s tackled excessive price rises by setting a target ceiling on grocery price rises, backed by legislation, which allowed the prices minister to set prices on declared grocery items. This was credited with Melbourne going from the highest price increases in the country to some of the lowest in the space of 12 months.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Ms Copsey, sorry. I could not hear your question, because of all the noise, and the Attorney-General is very close to me, where I am. Can we reset the clock, without anyone saying anything, so we can hear Ms Copsey’s question.

Katherine COPSEY: Thank you, President. My question is to the Attorney-General. Price gouging by supermarkets is a key driver of the cost-of-living crisis. We see food and other essential costs are now going through the roof. The Cain Labor government in the 1980s tackled excessive price rises by setting a target ceiling on grocery price rises, backed by legislation, which allowed the prices minister to set prices on declared grocery items. This was credited with Melbourne going from the highest price increases in the country to some of the lowest within the space of 12 months. Given the harm and suffering the cost-of-living crisis is causing, will the government re-establish a minister for fair prices?

Members interjecting.

Katherine COPSEY: I am happy for the Attorney to take this in her capacity as Leader of the Government, if that is the concern.

The PRESIDENT: I ask the minister representing the Premier to take the question for the Premier.

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:33): I will pass the question to the Premier.

Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (12:33): I appreciate the Attorney might need to discuss that specific idea with her cabinet colleagues. Just a little extra context as to why it was directed to the Attorney-General: previous Victorian governments, as I said, stepped in to control egregious price rises. In the 1980s, the Department of Consumer Affairs had responsibility to deter excessive price rises, and in the 1950s in fact, Attorney, that function sat with the prices control branch of the department of laws, a precursor to your department. In the meantime, while you discuss that, we have heard from people who are struggling right now to afford the basics, with one community member telling us, ‘I can’t buy fruits, vegetables or even toilet paper.’ Given the clear power that the government has to stop unfair price rises, why does the government choose not to use it?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:34): Ms Copsey, I would go as far as to say this is an abuse of question time. You have got many avenues to raise these types of views, but you have put it in the context of a question for a minister that has no responsibility for the topic that you have raised in the way you have raised it. I do not know whether you are doing it for a social media grab or why you are doing it, but to use this as an opportunity for me to try and answer in a minute about what this government is doing about cost of living, what this government is doing in relation to supporting Victorians and to respond to these issues in the way you have framed the question is actually quite shameful. I will pass the question on to the Premier, but, President, this is not even remotely trying to fit a question within the remit of the responsible minister and therefore I would not like to see a practice such as this continue.

The PRESIDENT: I will take it into account. I think the obvious place for a question like that as far as a new portfolio goes would be the Premier, who sets the portfolios. That was the first question. But I will take it into account.