New laws to target dodgy online sales techniques
“Left unchecked, these practices make our economy less dynamic by deterring people from exploring alternatives or trying new providers. A competitive system cannot thrive when confusion becomes a strategy and openness becomes a disadvantage.”
“This reform also helps shape the kind of economy we want. One where prices are what they appear to be and people can leave a service as easily as they join it.”
Leigh will also announce that the government will seek to extend protections against unfair trading practices to small businesses early next year.
He said there were examples in food manufacturing where retailers threatened to delist suppliers in retaliation for price increases.
“These practices can distort competition and erode trust. By forcing small operators to take on risks and costs they do not accept, they undermine the principle that markets should reward merit rather than muscle,” he will say.
“Extending protections to thousands of small businesses, including the construction, agriculture and retail sectors, is essential to restoring balance and integrity across the economy.”
The move on online retailers will not have an impact on the budget’s bottom line, which is forecast to show a $42.1 billion deficit this fiscal year, following a $10 billion deficit in 2024-25.
Katy Gallagher and Jim Chalmers will publish their mid-year budget update within the next two weeks.Credit: Louie Douvis
There are signs that the deficit will remain below forecasts, as monthly official data show the budget was $6.6 billion above expectations by the end of October.
Finance Minister Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher are expected to publish their mid-year budget update within the next two weeks.
On Sunday, Gallagher said monthly budget data is affected by the timing of payments and various government programs.
But he said he and Chalmers were focused on improving the budget’s profitability in the face of increasing pressures in areas such as defence, aged care, health, veterans support and the NDIS.
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“We want to bring the budget back into balance and so some of our thinking around reprioritising public services, how we manage some of these big growth programmes, getting the NDIS [growth] “Below 10 percent is an area of focus,” he said.
Gallagher, who attacked the Coalition during the election campaign for its plan to cut the civil service by 41,000 people, rejected suggestions that the government was about to cut the federal bureaucracy, which now stands at almost 200,000.
He said the current civil service was “largely right-sized” and that all ministers had been asked to look at ways to deliver budget savings that could then be reinvested into government programmes.
“There will be some ups and downs in different departments as programs start and stop, but overall I think it’s about the right size,” he said.
