Greens Senator Steph Hodgins-May returns to her Ballarat roots today to listen to community concerns about the current cost of living crisis.
"Time and time again, I'm hearing from people who can't afford basic food items."
"People are telling me that they're skipping meals and being forced to make tough choices between medical expenses, groceries and rent."
According to the Ballarat Foundation, more than 12 percent of the population in Ballarat relies on some kind of support for accessing meals and groceries in order to survive.
"This shouldn't be happening in a wealthy country like Australia, but that's the reality when Labor refuses to take action on cost of living."
"Here in Ballarat, like in so many regional communities across the country, shoppers have little choice but to shop at either Coles and Woolworths."
"The Coles and Woolworths duopoly is blatantly price gouging. Shoppers are paying more for groceries, while supermarkets are profiting billions."
"Having grown up in Ballarat, I'm hearing directly from locals who are fed up. People have had enough of the supermarket price-gouging, they've had enough of not being able to put food on the table for their kids - all while supermarkets make huge profits."
The Greens are campaigning hard to hold Coles and Woolworths to account, the Senator said.
"Food and grocery prices won't come down unless we make price gouging illegal, and create powers to break up the supermarket duopoly."
"Only the Greens have consistently proposed measures in Parliament that will result in lower food and grocery prices."
"It's time for the Labor Party to decide whether to protect the profits of supermarket giants or provide relief to Australian shoppers in a cost of living crisis.
