Former Greens MP Max Chandler‑Mather has outlined a $25.1 billion plan to nationalise more than 200 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets and open 424 new government‑run stores and 10 distribution centres. The proposal, modelled on New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s publicly owned grocery scheme, would use new forced divestiture laws to take over major supermarket sites and distribution hubs, giving the public sector about 20 % of the market share for the new non‑profit network.
The new stores, called Fair Go Grocers, would offer consumers an average discount of 22 %, or roughly $60 per week for a four‑person household. Heavy price cuts would target essentials such as fruit, vegetables, bread, milk and meat. A statutory authority would set monthly prices and minimum wholesale rates, drawing on experts in supermarket operations, nutrition, food science and farming. The federal government would cover capital costs, including land, construction and acquisition, and locate stores in areas of greatest need. After the initial five‑year investment, the stores would be self‑funding and would not require further taxpayer money.
Chandler‑Mather noted that the government already spends about $24 billion a year on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and that the plan has strong public backing: a YouGov poll found 84 % of voters supported the idea while 16 % opposed it. Support was highest among 25‑34 year olds, Greens voters and women. Greens leader David Shoebridge welcomed the proposal, saying a public supermarket would improve people’s material conditions and that the policy was “wildly popular” because it makes lives better.
The plan echoes similar initiatives in New Zealand, where the Greens have proposed nationalising 120 supermarkets under the KiwiMark brand. The competition watchdog has already taken cases against Coles and Woolworths over misleading discount claims, and the Greens argue that Labor’s recent anti‑price‑gouging laws have failed to lower consumer costs.
