Australian Council of Trade Unions announces inquiry into price gouging for essential items
The ACTU has announced an inquiry into price gouging, which will be led by former ACCC chair, Allan Fels.
Prof Fels will be looking at what extent price gouging played, if any, in the price increase of essential items as well as the impact on workers and people in vulnerable financial positions.
The Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) has welcomed Fels’ appointment and the inquiry.
CEO Cassandra Goldie says Acoss accepts that inflation has put some businesses under pressure as well, but the burden should be shared fairly, not just shifted to lower paid workers and people on fixed incomes.
Inflation has eaten into household budgets over the past year and has been used to justify aggressive interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank, putting people’s jobs and living standards in jeopardy….