TRANSCRIPT – ABC RADIO GOLD COAST

Angie Bell MP
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education
Shadow Minister for Youth
Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT
ABC RADIO GOLD COAST – MORNINGS WITH SARAH CUMMING

20 March 2024

Subjects: : Supermarket duopoly; Labor’s cost of living crisis; 2032 Olympic Games

E&OE…………………………

SARAH CUMMING:
Federal Parliament is sitting this week. It may not come as a surprise that the cost of living is high on the agenda, power prices, housing supply and Australia’s supermarket duopoly has dominated the conversations this week.

The Greens are putting forward a bill that would create powers to break up Coles and Woolworths if they were found to be misusing their market dominance. It has the support of the Nationals, where Greens MP Stephen Bates asked if the Prime Minister will stand with the party. Anthony Albanese has said we’ve directed the ACCC to conduct an inquiry into supermarket prices and we’ve made it very clear that if the ACCC recommends to us further mandating, then we are completely up for that. We know that more has to be done. We know that when a farmer gets less for their product that should translate through to cheaper prices at the checkout.

Let’s bring in LNP Federal Member for Moncrieff, Angie Bell this morning. Hello Angie.

ANGIE BELL MP:
Good morning, Sarah.

SARAH CUMMING:
Cheaper grocery prices. What have you noticed at the checkout lately?

ANGIE BELL MP:
I have noticed an increase in my regular bill every week. When I come here to Canberra as well. I go to the supermarket on a Sunday and it’s costing me quite a lot more. Food prices are definitely up. The stats say nine per cent but sometimes it feels like more than that and I’m sure Gold Coasters are also feeling that, and we’re having trouble on the Gold Coast with food security for some families.

SARAH CUMMING:
Do you find your bills more expensive in Canberra or the Gold Coast?

ANGIE BELL MP:
Both. Absolutely both, and this is across the whole country this increase in cost of living for families and Australian families really are paying the higher price for Labor’s bad economic policies and that’s what it’s about, their bad economic policies.

SARAH CUMMING:
The Nationals are backing a move by the Greens to try and create powers to break up Coles and Woolworths. Nationals Leader, David Littleproud says he backs these measures to protect consumers and farmers. Let’s have a listen.

[EXCERPT]

THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP:
Because they control 74 per cent of the grocery market, they are the market. They can control it. The big three supermarkets in the US, the UK controls somewhere between 30 and 40 per cent in both those countries, so we’ve got market concentration here a small population, and it’s not just farmers that have been hurt, it’s consumers. Even watermelons, I used to pick watermelons in Chinchilla as the young fella. $1.50 they’re paying a kilogram to the farmer but charging over $4.50 at the checkout. Let me tell you, once you pick them there’s no processing you put them in the back of the tractor or in a bin and they get a quick wash they end up on the shelf. Now, there’s no way in the world that the supermarket can justify that and that’s just one commodity.

[EXCERPT ENDS]

SARAH CUMMING:
Yeah, one commodity watermelons there. Now when he was asked Angie, if his Liberal colleagues will back the bill. This is what Mr. Littleproud said.

[EXCERPT]

THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP:
We said even before the Senate inquiry, we’ve said we want to get bipartisan support with Labor, the Liberals and I’m having constructive conversations also with the Liberals and in the bill that Nick McKim has brought forward, we support as Nationals. We think there’s some architectural changes that need to happen, they go to the granularity.

[EXCERPT ENDS]

SARAH CUMMING:
Okay. So, Angie Bell, will the Liberals support this bill?

ANGIE BELL MP:
During this cost of living crisis, it is really critical that companies do the right thing by their customers and we spoke about that last time, Sarah. The Coalition has a proud record of standing up for consumers, with strong competition policy, which is really important because if there’s no competition, obviously prices can remain high. The Coalition, in our party room will consider this. We’ll consider the recommendations of the Select Committee through our usual processes and come to a position on that.

SARAH CUMMING:
You mentioned economic policy, what would your economic policy be and how would it improve the cost of living situation for consumers?

ANGIE BELL MP:
Under the Labor Government we have seen inflation higher for longer and there are levers that the government can pull to make sure that inflation comes down. It’s still higher than it should be, and it’s due to extra government spending out into the community across the nation. I think responsible spending is a big part of keeping inflation lower into that two to three per cent band and we haven’t seen that happen under the Albanese Government.

SARAH CUMMING:
How would you rein in spending? What would you cut back on?

ANGIE BELL MP:
Well, that’s a question after budget, after the Leader’s budget speech, but at this point in time we want to see prices come down for consumers and it’s not just for groceries, Sarah, it’s also for energy bills. We’ve seen the Prime Minister promise time and time again, a $275 reduction in energy bills and what we’ve seen in South East Queensland in particular, is a $622 increase, which is up 36 per cent. And so, that promise is another broken promise from this Prime Minister.

SARAH CUMMING:
Power prices are certainly on the agenda this week. We did hear from Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, saying that he’s not giving up on Labor’s promise to lower power prices by, as you mentioned, $275 by next year, this is what he said.

[EXCERPT]

MINISTER BOWEN:
The result shows the impact of the government’s coal and gas caps. It shows the impact of lessening international pressures, shows the impact of getting more renewables into the system, the cheapest form of energy available, and it shows the impact of my requests along with State Ministers for the Australian Energy Regulator to prioritise the needs of consumers and put consumers first in this draft Default Market Offer, rather than competition. So, this is encouraging. A long way to go. I welcome the fact that for small businesses in particular, in some jurisdictions, there are reductions in the case of those on the Energex 0.3% per cent.

[EXCERPT ENDS]

SARAH CUMMING:
That’s Energy Minister, Chris Bowen there. So, putting consumers first. I’m sure all consumers would really like that. Do you support getting more renewables into the power system as a cheaper alternative to further drive down prices?

ANGIE BELL MP:
Of course, the Liberal Party supports renewables. That’s part of the energy mix. Australians know that Labor has delivered more expensive power and more unreliable power. Under the LNP, we want more affordable power, and more reliable power for businesses, for homeowners.

We’ve got people who are really struggling to pay their energy bills, and this is more bluster from Chris Bowen, who, in the face of a $622 average increase in South East Queensland, says that Australians are going to get cheaper power. This government has been in power for almost two years and all we’ve seen is increases in the cost of living, increases in power prices and gas prices and in grocery prices. Australians know that they’ve broken their promises because they’re feeling it in the hip pocket.

SARAH CUMMING:
We certainly are feeling it in the hip pocket particularly on the Gold Coast in terms of housing another issue. Housing has been on the agenda in Canberra this week with Labor’s Help to Buy bill before the Senate now, with the aim of putting more people into homeownership. What’s being debated in the Chamber this week in regards to housing supply?

ANGIE BELL MP:
We know that Labor have their very small Help to Buy scheme, which we don’t agree with. You only have to look at the proof in the pudding and that is the numbers, and under Labor homeownership, especially for first home buyers, has never been further out of reach. Australians, rightly, should hold on to that dream of owning their own home.
When you look at the numbers, Sarah, under Labor, Australians with an average mortgage are paying $24,000 a year more. That’s $2,000 a month, which is certainly hurting Australians. When Albanese promised that interest rates would go down, that mortgages would actually go down. Remember, “Labor has real lasting plans for cheaper mortgages,” is what Anthony Albanese said, and I ask Australians and Gold Coasters, is that the case under this Labor Government? And the answer is no.

We need to look at the fact that rents have increased by 26 per cent, that mortgages are up by $24,000 a year on a $750,000 mortgage. That is huge for families on the Gold Coast who are trying to put their kids through school, who are trying to make ends meet, and certainly are trying to run a small business.

SARAH CUMMING:
Angie Bell, before we let you go keen to get your thoughts on the Olympics. The 2032 Olympics situation here in Queensland. A lot has happened this week. We’ve had a review into stadiums and a recommendation from the review – that was rejected. Instead of you know, building a brand new stadium now for the Olympics. Of course, you know, you look at Beijing and places like that they had the Big Bird’s Nest Stadium where the world’s best athletes were competing and here in Brisbane will have the local sort of athletics track up the road near Griffith Uni. What are you thinking about that?

ANGIE BELL MP:
What we’re seeing is the incompetence of the Miles Government and Steven Miles as Premier of Queensland is not stepping up to the role. He’s rejected the signature recommendation of the Graham Quirk lead review, which was the first thing he did as Premier and now he’s rejected it.

What I would like to see, and I stand with Tom on this one, is that the Gold Coast venues receive some sort of upgrade where possible for the seven events that we’re having on the Gold Coast. That’s what I’d like to see. I’d also like to see a swimming legacy from the Olympic Games, and we have a fabulous venue at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre that has room to grow. That’s what I would like to see when it comes to Olympic venues on the Gold Coast. What we’ve seen from the Queensland Premier is complete and utter incompetence.

SARAH CUMMING:
Do you think a brand new stadium would have been the way to go as was recommended in the review?

ANGIE BELL MP:
I think the stadium that was proposed above Roma Street was a ridiculous idea, where it was temporary for swimming, and it would be put up and then pulled down. I think that was under Anastasia Palaszczuk. That was absolutely a ridiculous proposal to Queenslanders and to Australian taxpayers.

I think upgrades to stadiums would be a much better way to go. Although, I saw that there was a recommendation to then pull down the GABBA and turn it into a green space. Ultimately, that’s a decision for the Premier and the local council there in Brisbane. But, it makes sense to upgrade stadiums and we have some fantastic venues on the Gold Coast; Heritage Bank Stadium at Carrara, which has hosted the Commonwealth Games. And again, the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, which is the premier swimming venue on the Gold Coast.

SARAH CUMMING:
So perhaps we just need to rebrand it the Gold Coast 2032 Olympics. Solve all the problems.

ANGIE BELL MP:
Wouldn’t that be fantastic?

SARAH CUMMING:
Angie Bell, thank you for your time this morning.

ANGIE BELL MP:
My pleasure, Sarah.

[ends]