The Greens have launched a website calling for supermarket “whistleblowers” to come forward, in an effort to get people to snitch on Coles and Woolies.
Announced this afternoon, the party has described the site as “an online portal for whistleblowers on the practices of Coles and Woolworths” ahead of the Senate inquiry into price gouging.
They are calling for anyone with “inside knowledge” of the two companies to come forward.
Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim, who is chairing the Senate inquiry, said that since announcing the inquiry earlier this month, people had come forward with a number of stories about the internal practices of the companies.
“These accounts reveal a culture of deep fear within the industry, underlining the urgent need for scrutiny,” he said in a statement.
“We want to hear from employees, suppliers and primary producers, as well as anyone with knowledge of the industry.”
Anyone who submits to the website can do so anonymously. Further, all information collected is protected by parliamentary privilege, meaning it cannot be used in a legal proceeding against anyone.
Both Coles and Woolies have repeatedly claimed that they are not guilty of price gouging. They say there are other reasons for their soaring profits, including “internal productivity savings”.
Others, such as Labor’s Bill Shorten, have accused the companies of using inflation as a “smokescreen” for raising prices.
“In other words, you’d almost call it greedflation,” he said in an interview with ABC.
Not all are on board with a Senate price inquiry. Leader of the Nationals David Littleproud said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) should be investigating instead. He added an inquiry would take too long and would offer solutions in two years, rather than now.
“When you’re seeing a 70 per cent reduction in sale yard prices compared to an eight per cent reduction at the supermarket, someone’s cleaning up — and that’s Coles and Woolworths,” he said in a statement issued earlier this month.
“Where are the CEOs of Coles and Woolworths? They’ve gone hiding, they won’t front up and front any media and say why their prices are still exorbitant.”
The first hearings of the Senate inquiry are expected to be heard early next year.
