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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2420 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

Even if you accept the arguments that Ms Horodny put on behalf of the Greens that Woolies, Coles, Franklins, Jewel and so forth are the big baddies doing such terrible things to business in Canberra, how is this going to change? Those big baddies of business will simply move from the town centres into the group centres. They will still make just as much profit. It will happen in a slightly different place. In fact, they will probably make more profit, because they will have fewer people working. We will force the same number of shoppers into a smaller number of shops, and jobs will be lost.

Mrs Carnell: So why did they not support it?

MR MOORE: The Chief Minister asks, "Why did you not support it?".

Mrs Carnell: Why did they not support it if they were going to make more money?

MR MOORE: On a cost-benefit - - -

Mrs Carnell: No, "they". Why did Woolworths not support it if they were going to make more money?

MR MOORE: Why did Woolworths, Coles and so forth not support it? There is a series of reasons. The most important is that they like the distribution they currently have. They certainly are planning to expand in the town centres, and you are certainly going to let them.

Mrs Carnell: Why? So that they make more money?

MR MOORE: That is right. Certainly, the same people are interested in keeping an appropriate spread of business around Canberra.

Mrs Carnell: Only if they make more money.

MR MOORE: When it comes back to Woolies as a whole, they are going to make more profit.

Mrs Carnell: They only do things with their bottom lines.

MR MOORE: You and I both know that the real reason why the Supermarket Institute is fighting this particular issue at this time is that it is the first time in Australia that a government has attempted to wind back the deregulation process. For them it is very important that there not be an Australian first in winding back the deregulation process or having a reregulation process. For them there is a whole series of issues. I know that you want to simplify it and not do a cost-benefit analysis, because that would expose you. There is a whole series of reasons why they would continue to oppose it. Most important is the fact that this is simply lousy legislation. It achieves nothing.

Mrs Carnell: Then why does anyone have a problem?

MR MOORE: Because on the one hand it achieves - - -

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