Price of Aussie staple skyrockets amid crisis

The soaring price of staple supermarket favourites has made shockwaves online after a packet of Tim Tams was snapped selling for a whopping $11.80.

The Australian biscuits were one of a number of exorbitantly priced products on sale in Kalumburu in far north Western Australia this week.

Photos obtained by the ABC showed Arnott’s Sao biscuits selling for $8.90, with Black and Gold brand laundry powder on sale for $9.30.

Across the board, prices for staple foods, including fruit, vegetables, and pasta, was more than double what it would cost online.

For 500g of spiral pasta, Kalumburu residents in April 2024 could expect to pay $6; online, it was selling for just $2.95.

It comes amid heightened focus on food affordability in light of the current cost-of-living crisis, both in remote communities and in Australia’s big cities.

Earlier this month, a Byron Bay resident took to social media to vent frustration at the cost of a punnet of strawberries, snapped at Coles at $9.50.

While Coles issued a statement explaining that the high price was due to seasonal changes, it came amid increased scrutiny on supermarkets.

An 195-page report flowing from an inquiry into Coles and Woolworths recommended the duopoly be broken up and regulators empowered.

Concerns for food security are particularly sensitive in remote communities like Kalumburu, where the ABC said the price gap was only widening.

The cost of a basket of healthy food was 40 per cent more in remote stores in the Northern Territory than in the suburbs, a recent report found.

Between 2000 and 2019, the cost of a grocery shop rose 3.1 per cent annually in remote communities, compared to the just 2.9 per cent CPI.