The fighting over supermarket policy is really intensifying.
The Liberals’ Zed Seselja is especially happy to note that the Commonwealth Labor Minister for Competition, Craig Emerson, has lashed the crony capitalist “picking winners” masquerading as competition in the ACT:
On radio this morning, Minister Emerson was asked what the Federal Government’s view was on ACT Labor’s supermarket policy;
“We don’t agree with the ACT’s policy… We believe in competition, we believe that competition is good, and more competition is better and when you knock competitors out of the market than the others that remain in the market know that they don’t have to face that stiff competition and the potential losers from that are the supermarket customers in the ACT, so we don’t support the policy of the Government here the ACT. (Federal Minister for Competition Policy, Craig Emerson, 2CC Breakfast – 16/6/10).
When asked about whether the Federal Government had put pressure on Jon Stanhope and ACT Labor, Minister Emerson said;
“We have written to Jon Stanhope, indicating that it is our view, and my view as Competition Policy Minister, that this is the wrong way to go, that picking winners, restricting competition is not good for the customers of the ACT.”
His Chiefliness has been putting on some vintage angry voice to shout down the whole rest of the world.