Tas disadvantaged from lack of supermarket competition, says CHOICE

Today's Choice quarterly report has backed in what I’ve been saying: Tasmanians are paying through the nose for grocery prices because of a lack of supermarket competition. 

We heard in the Senate inquiry into Supermarket Prices when an ALDI comes to town, prices drop at Coles and Woolies. Tasmanians don’t have that luxury. ALDI told us themselves that they’ve put Tassie in the too hard basket. 

While supermarkets say it’s too hard to set up in Tassie, Tasmanians are bearing the brunt of it. They’re seeing the items in their basket go down while the price goes up. I know what it’s like to put food back on the shelf and go without that week, because you just can’t afford it. 

I’ve called on the Federal Government to look at ways they can encourage more supermarket competition in Tasmania. The Tasmanian State Government has a role to play in that too. This could include incentives for supermarkets to set up in Tassie. But it also means stopping bad behaviour from supermarkets, like holding onto land or sites so that other supermarkets can’t set up shop.

**I've launched a petition to bring ALDI to Tasmania. Sign it here.**