ACCC boss still ‘very concerned’ about supermarket pricing practices

Gina Cass-Gottlieb says the ACCC has ‘high concerns’ about supermarkets and ‘will give a very extensive report to the government quite soon’. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

The head of the competition and consumer regulator still has “high concerns” about the pricing practices of Australia’s dominant supermarkets even after they were subjected to litigation and intense public scrutiny.

Gina Cass-Gottlieb, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair, also said regulations may need to be bolstered to combat complaints raised by shoppers and suppliers exposed to a highly concentrated sector led by Coles and Woolworths.