Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, you are taking advantage of my kind nature here. My question without notice is to the  Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs. Is the minister aware that food retail margins in Britain, as published in Food Statistics 2007, show a mark-up of only 163 per cent over farm gate price and that, on a basket of selected households items produced in the parliament on 28 August, the Australian mark-up was found to be 267 per cent? Would he not agree that this should be expected, since in Great Britain the two top retailers hold under 40 per cent of market share, whilst in Australia the two top retailers hold over 86 per cent? Finally, would he not agree that the last government had to know the average farmer was getting 30 per cent less than his OECD counterpart, whilst the average housewife, according to these figures, should have been paying, similarly, $100 less per week for her groceries? Would he not agree that that government should be condemned?

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