The Federal Government has released a consultation paper on new requirements for supermarkets to improve transparency about prices, promotions and loyalty programs. The proposals directly respond to recommendations from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Supermarkets Inquiry, which found that current pricing and promotional practices often make it too difficult for consumers to assess value for money.
Releasing the consultation paper the Assistant Minister for Competition, Andrew Leigh, said “Supermarket prices shouldn’t be a guessing game. Clear, accessible information allows shoppers to compare prices fairly and make informed choices. Greater transparency on prices, promotions and loyalty programs helps ensure Australians know exactly what they’re paying for at the checkout.”
The paper seeks views on proposals to require:
· all supermarkets, including remote stores, to publish prices in-store;
· large supermarkets to publish prices online, ensure web-scraping technologies can be used by third parties like online comparison websites and apps, and display minimum information about promotions, supported by record-keeping requirements; and
· very large supermarkets to provide members with six-monthly information summaries for loyalty programs.
Submissions can be made online on the Treasury consultation hub until 17 February 2026. PDF and DOCX versions of the consultation paper are also available on the Treasury website here.