Your ‘Fair Go Grocers’ Questions Answered

Since launching our Fair Go Grocers plan earlier we’ve been heartened by the overwhelmingly positive response from community members. We’ve read every email, comment, and DM you’ve sent us and responded to your frequently asked questions below.

• But isn’t Colesworth’s margin only 2%?

Not quite! The duopoly loves to cry poor but the reality is that in 2026, Coles’ and Woolworths’ profit margins on their supermarkets were more than double that figure – 5.7% and 5.4% respectively.

Bear in mind that profit margins are calculated after corporations pay for things like marketing, exec salaries, and expensive tech like in-store surveillance: if you cut these out, the margins would be even bigger.

• How is the Greens Institute proposing to pay for this plan?

We’d raise just over $25 billion – less than half the cost of a single AUKUS submarine – needed over five years through a super profits tax on big corporations raking in $100 million or more in profits each year. 

Previous Parliamentary Budget Office costings commissioned  by the Australian Greens show a super profits tax could raise $214 billion in 10 years – and that’s not even counting the money we could raise by taxing mining corporations!

• Where will the supermarkets be located? Would they only be in cities or would regional and remote Australia get them too?

We’re not proposing specific locations at this point. The statutory authority governing Fair Go Grocers would identify areas with the highest levels of food insecurity and stress and the highest concentration of the supermarket duopoly, and prioritise forcibly acquiring existing Coles and Woolies stores there before expanding outwards. Choosing locations based on need means that Fair Go Grocers would be established in a range of locations, from urban to regional.

• What about farmers and producers? Will they get a “fair go”, too?

Yes! Australian farmers and producers who work hard to grow our food are also being squeezed by the duopoly, who aggressively drive down wholesale prices and incentivise over-supply of produce that ends up getting binned because it’s deemed too ugly or because Coles and Woolworths changed their mind on quantity at the last minute.

Fair Go Grocers would allow farmers and producers to collectively bargain to set a fair, guaranteed minimum price for their produce and to establish binding minimum purchase qualities. It would also be the “buyer of last resort” for any edible produce rejected by the duopoly, and snap up fruit and veg that don’t meet the corporate supermarkets ridiculous cosmetic standards.

• Given that Mamdani’s plan for NYC Groceries hasn’t been rolled out yet and we’ve never seen a successful government-run grocery store anywhere in the world, why would it work here?

It’s true that NYC Groceries aren’t yet up and running, but there is in fact a successful example of a government-run grocery store: funnily enough, it’s run by the US military. 

The Defense Commissary Agency, an official US government agency, has run grocery stores for servicepeople, veterans, and their families in the US and on bases around the world for over 150 years. Since 1990, these stores have offered overall savings of 24.6% on every shop.”Capital expenses like new stores and upgrades are funded directly by the federal government, while operating costs like inventory are funded through store revenue – just like we’re proposing for Fair Go Grocers!

• Shouldn’t we start with a small trial in a few locations first before scaling up?

Fair Go Grocers would rely on economies of scale to get the best value for the public funds used to build, kit out, and supply the stores. We think that operating 100 stores in the first year is a good place to start: the public sector already has expertise running other complex systems like healthcare, schools, and (once upon a time) electricity, and would be able to harness and build on this expertise quickly.

• How would you ensure smaller independent grocers aren’t negatively impacted by your plan?

Research suggests that Australians tend to shop at multiple places throughout the week to fulfil different needs: smaller shops closer to home to pick up ingredients for dinner, independent grocers for specialty items and non-essentials, and one weekly “big shop” from either Coles or Woolies. 

Fair Go Grocers is only intended to compete on the latter: it wouldn’t stock the same specialty items – including things like international ingredients and premium deli items – as independent grocers, and because locations will be decided based on need and supermarket duopoly concentration (see above) it wouldn’t take traffic away from your local corner store.

• Why supermarkets? What about electricity, schools, childcare, banks?

We absolutely need publicly owned electricity, schools, childcare and banks. And just like education and electricity, food is also essential to life. So we need a public option for groceries. 

National polling by YouGov shows that for 94% of Australians, groceries are the biggest household budgetary concern – ahead of fuel, electricity, and even housing. Nearly half of voters say their financial situation has suffered because of the cost of food, and two in five say their household’s diet is less nutritious now than it was a year ago.

But even after inquiry after inquiry into supermarkets revealing the extent of their predatory practices and the impact on households, Labor has offered only the mildest regulatory tweaks that haven’t forced prices down. Only a radical intervention like a public alternative to Coles and Woolworths will bring about the cost of living relief households desperately need.

• Would stock be sustainable/fair trade/gluten free/vegan?

Fair Go Grocers would prioritise locally-grown and made products, with a focus on supplying the broad range of healthy, fresh food we all need to thrive. It would serve meat and dairy, but also include plenty of options for vegans, flexetarians, people with dietary requirements, and everything in between!

• If Coles and Woolworths (promise to) cut their prices, would you discontinue them?

We fully intend for Fair Go Grocers to push Coles and Woolworths to slash their prices, but promising to do so and actually doing it are two different things. Even if the duopoly did follow through – which would be a great result for households – Fair Go Grocers would continue to operate as a public option to keep the profiteers competitive and in check.

• What about food recycling and waste?

The supermarket duopoly’s predatory procurement methods (see above about farmers and producers getting a fair go) are a major driver of the one million-plus tonnes of fresh produce lost in Australia each year before it even makes it to a grocery store.

Fair Go Grocers would dramatically reduce this figure by sticking to minimum purchase agreements with farmers to avoid oversupply and by scooping up edible produce deemed “too ugly” by the corporate supermarkets. We’re also open to considering how things like community composting might be facilitated through the public supermarket.

• How would we find good managers and staff to avoid inefficiencies and waste?

Fair Go Grocers would undertake open and competitive recruitment processes for all roles that would welcome applicants from across the public and private sectors. Just as there are already plenty of people in the public service with great management and customer service skills, there are people who know the supermarket system inside out and would love the opportunity to put their skills and knowledge to use for a non-profit, public grocery store!

You can read the full plan and sign up to show your support on our Fair Go Grocers page