In 2025, after a year-long investigation involving more than 20,000 consumers, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that Australia's supermarket sector was not working effectively for consumers.

Verified by Lenz · Jul 13, 2026

The Short Version

Official ACCC sources support the key facts: the inquiry ran for about a year, drew input from more than 20,000 consumers, and concluded that competition and market features were delivering poor outcomes for shoppers. The claim slightly overstates the wording because the ACCC described problematic aspects of the sector rather than declaring the entire sector wholly ineffective.

Caveats

The ACCC’s formal wording was that aspects of the supermarket sector were 'not working well,' not that every part of the sector was failing.
The 'more than 20,000 consumers' figure comes from consultation and survey participation, not 20,000 formal investigative interviews.
Social-media reposts and secondary commentary add little beyond the ACCC’s report and media release; the primary ACCC documents are the key evidence.

The Receipts

Final report - Supermarkets inquiry 2024-25
ACCCMar 21, 2025
Supermarkets inquiry 2024-25 - ACCC
ACCCJan 25, 2024
ACCC recommends supermarket reforms to provide better outcomes for consumers and suppliers
ACCCMar 21, 2025
February 2025 Senate Estimates – Opening Statement
Parliament of AustraliaFeb 28, 2025
Supermarkets inquiry 2024-2025 Interim report
ACCCSep 27, 2024
Consumer survey - Supermarkets inquiry 2024-25
ACCCFeb 29, 2024
ACCC supermarket inquiry investigating Coles and Woolworths' market power and barriers to entry
ABC NewsSep 26, 2024
ACCC supermarkets inquiry invites consumer, farmer and industry views
ACCCMay 1, 2024
Supermarkets inquiry: February 2025 final report
ACCCMar 21, 2025
February 2025 Senate Estimates – Opening Statement (ACCC)
Parliament of Australia (APH)Feb 28, 2025

+ 16 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Australia Australian Competition And Consumer Commission

In 2025, after a year-long investigation involving more than 20,000 consumers, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that Australia's supermarket sector was not working effectively for consumers.

The Short Version

Caveats

The Receipts

Filed Under

More Fact Checks

In 2025, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that Coles Group and Woolworths Group were among the most profitable supermarket businesses compared with their international competitors.

The Australian Consumer Law is contained in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).

The Australian Consumer Law requires that consumer goods be safe, durable, match their description, and work as expected.

Sections 54–56 of Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (the Australian Consumer Law) establish consumer guarantees including acceptable quality, fitness for purpose, and correspondence with description.