A radical $25.1billion proposal would see more than 200 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets forcibly taken into public ownership under a communist style plan and rebranded as government-run grocery stores offering discounts of up to 30 per cent on essential food items.
asserted
supermarkets → see → items
Former Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather, who became known as Anthony Albanese's political nemesis for his frequent jibes at the Prime Minister, now heads the party-aligned public policy think tank, the Green Institute.
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who → know → tank
He wants the government to use new forced divestiture powers to establish a nationwide supermarket chain called Fair Go Grocers, which he claims could save the average family more than $3,000 a year on groceries.
uncertain
he → want → groceries
The proposed powers would allow competition regulators or courts to force companies to sell off parts of their businesses if they become too dominant.
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they → propose → businesses
Under the plan, the Federal Government would invest $25.1billion over five years to acquire 200 Coles and Woolworths stores and three distribution centres.
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Government → invest → stores
The funding would also be used to build a further 424 supermarkets and 10 distribution centres across Australia.
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funding → use → Australia
The proposal comes as Labor faces mounting pressure over grocery prices and follows New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's push for a network of city-backed grocery stores aimed at lowering food costs for residents.
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Labor → come → residents
Chandler-Mather said Fair Go Grocers would operate as a publicly owned competitor to Coles and Woolworths, offering discounts of up to 30 per cent on essential items including fruit and vegetables, bread, milk and meat.
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Grocers → say → fruit
Former Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather (pictured) wants to use new forced divestiture powers to create a nationwide supermarket chain called Fair Go Grocers
A recent poll found nearly 80 per cent of Australians said it had become harder to afford groceries over the past year, while 38 per cent reported skipping meals or eating less
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cent → picture → less
According to modelling released by the Green Institute, households would save an average of 22 per cent on each grocery shop.
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households → accord → shop
'Kids are going to school hungry, families are skipping meals, people are cutting back on essentials – all because Labor has allowed Coles and Woolworths to jack up prices for extra profit, regardless of the human consequences,' he said.
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he → go → consequences
'For half the cost of a single AUKUS submarine we could establish a national network of publicly owned supermarkets that would save families thousands of dollars on their groceries, break the supermarket duopoly and bring lasting cost of living relief to millions of Australians.
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that → establish → Australians
'Australians are sick of being ripped off by profit-hungry Coles and Woolworths, while politicians in Canberra sit on their hands and people struggle to afford enough food to eat a proper meal.
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people → rip → meal
The proposal comes three months after Labor's anti-price-gouging laws came into effect, with Chandler-Mather arguing the reforms have failed to deliver meaningful relief at the checkout.
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reforms → come → checkout
He accused Coles and Woolworths of 'price gouging' and said a publicly owned supermarket chain would lower prices by removing the profit motive from the sale of essential goods.
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chain → accuse → goods
'Tinkering around the edges has failed,' he said.
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he → tinker → edges
'It's common sense that if you want more affordable prices on essentials then you need to cut out the profit with public ownership.
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you → want → ownership
And just like Medicare and public schools, it's time we had a public option for food.'
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (pictured) is pushing for a network of city-backed grocery stores aimed at lowering the cost of food for residents
Modelling shows a nationwide supermarket chain would save the average family more than $3,000 a year on groceries
Chandler-Mather, who earned a reputation as one of Anthony Albanese's fiercest political opponents due to his regular jabs at the Prime Minister in Parliament
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who → have → Parliament
A national YouGov poll cited by the Green Institute found 84 per cent of Australians would support publicly owned supermarkets if they reduced grocery prices by cutting out profit margins.
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they → cite → margins
The same survey found 62 per cent of voters, including 53 per cent of One Nation supporters, said they would be more likely to vote for a party that backed the proposal.
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that → find → proposal
It also found 79 per cent of Australians said it had become harder to afford groceries over the past year, while 38 per cent reported skipping meals or eating less because of rising food costs.
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cent → find → costs
Fair Go Grocers would aim to capture 20 per cent of the supermarket market and become cost-neutral within five years, with store revenue funding operating costs including wages and inventory.
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revenue → aim → wages
According to the proposal, eliminating shareholder dividends, executive salaries, profit margins and marketing costs would allow the chain to sell groceries at substantially lower prices than Coles and Woolworths.
uncertain
chain → accord → Coles
The plan comes as new Green Institute research found Coles' profits had risen 58 per cent since 2019, while Woolworths' profits had increased 41 per cent, even as real wages fell six per cent.
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wages → come → 2019
The New Zealand Greens have also proposed nationalising 120 supermarkets and establishing a new publicly owned grocery chain.
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Greens → propose → chain
The proposal has reignited debate over so-called divestiture powers, which would allow regulators to seek court orders forcing dominant companies to sell parts of their businesses if they were found to have misused their market power.
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they → reignite → power
In 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected a similar proposal from the Greens, saying Australia was 'not the old Soviet Union' after the party sought to give the ACCC the power to apply to courts for break-up orders.
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party → reject → orders
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