Last week the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) along with member organisations CHOICE, Queensland Consumers Association (QCA), Financial Counselling Australia (FCA), Consumers SA (South Australia), the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA) and the Indigenous Consumers Assistance Network submitted our joint group submission to the 2024-25 ACCC Supermarket Inquiry. Generally, the submission calls for the competition between businesses in the sector, that product and service prices are not higher than they need to be, and that consumers be protected and have the tools and information necessary to make comparisons and informed choices.
More specifically, the submission focuses on the role of unit pricing (the price per unit of measurement, such as $3.08 per Litre of washing fluid) in both increasing competition throughout the supply chain and as a valuable tool for consumers to compare and be aware of how much they are spending for the quantity of their purchases. It is especially important that unit pricing is universally implemented clearly and consistently so that consumers can easily read and understand the information, which is why CFA continues to advocate for a cohesive, comprehensive and mandatory Grocery Unit Pricing Code. The revised mandatory code could be based on the international standard ISO 21041:2018 Guidance on unit pricing, a standard which few Australian supermarkets currently meet.
Considering the benefits to the consumer of a mandatory Grocery Unit Pricing Code alongside the declining standard of living and rising cost-of-living for Australian consumers recommends both that:
the inquiry undertake a detailed investigation into, and make recommendations on, grocery retailer compliance with the Grocery Unit Pricing Code and the opportunities to increase the effectiveness of
the grocery unit pricing system for consumers through changes to the:
- current compliance monitoring and enforcement arrangements
- Code’s provisions and associated guidance documents
- national measurement legislation.
and that
the inquiry recommends that the scope of the national unit pricing system be expanded to include the provision of unit prices for packaged products sold by relevant non-grocery retailers such as pet supplies stores, chemists, hardware stores, and stationers.
Online PDF of the Joint Submission (https://consumersfederation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Joint-CFA-Submission-ACCC-Supermarket-Inquiry.pdf)
Download the Word copy of the document (https://consumersfederation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Joint-CFA-Submission-ACCC-Supermarket-Inquiry.docx)
The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) has a space on their website dedicated to the Supermarket Inquiry here (https://www.accc.gov.au/inquiries-and-consultations/supermarkets-inquiry-2024-25). The ACCC page on unit pricing is available here (https://www.accc.gov.au/business/pricing/unit-pricing).
If you any questions about this joint submission you can reach out to CFA at info@consumersfederation.org.au.