Senate to examine ‘big box’ suppliers

THE treatment of suppliers by big box retailers such as Bunnings will come under scrutiny as part of a new Senate Inquiry. 

The announcement of the inquiry has been welcomed by nursery industry peak body Greenlife Industry Australia. 

GIA said the inquiry, initiated by National Party Senator Ross Cadell, was one of the recommendations made by the Senate Supermarket Inquiry earlier this year. 

GIA CEO, Joanna Cave said the Supermarket Inquiry’s main purpose was to examine the behaviour of major supermarkets such as Woolworths and Coles but it also heard evidence from greenlife growers supplying Bunnings. 

The new Big Box Inquiry will focus solely on large format retailers like Bunnings. 

Ms Cave said GIA was disappointed that, while acknowledging the disadvantages growers face in supplying Bunnings, Dr Craig Emerson declined to admit Bunnings to the Food & Grocery Code of Conduct in his June review. 

Instead, in his report, Dr Emerson gave Bunnings two years to negotiate an agreement directly with the greenlife industry. 

“GIA has engaged with Bunnings, in good faith, to pursue an industry Code of Practice, as Dr Emerson envisaged,” Ms Cave said.