An image shared on social media that appears to show police officers searching an elderly woman’s grocery store has outraged Australians.
“Just watched this poor old lady get arrested by the police for stealing food,” the post shared on X read.
‘I told them I would pay for her food and let her go and then they threatened to arrest me for obstructing the police. Boycott Coles and Woolworths.
Footage shows the woman speaking to police in Melbourne’s CBD as various items from her purchases are placed on the ground, but do not show her being escorted by officers.
Victoria Police has been contacted for comment on the incident.
An image posted on X showed agents reviewing the woman’s purchases.
The person who shared the post said he offered to pay for the purchase but the police refused.
Online commenters were mixed with some saying she broke the law and others criticizing police for detaining the woman.
‘This is so messed up. “If people are forced to steal food, we need a better alternative,” said one of them.
“Older people don’t have enough to live on, pension increases don’t cover increases in food and utility prices and the government doesn’t give a damn,” said another.
‘In my danger zone, I see some older people eating grapes in supermarkets. The staff leaves them alone to do it,” added a third.
“It seems like some training in empathy and kindness is needed,” a fourth added.
Woolworths posted a total profit of $1.7 billion in the last financial year.
The supermarket’s CEO, Brad Banducci, was threatened with a six-month jail sentence and a $5,000 fine for failing to answer questions earlier this week in a heated Senate inquiry into supermarket prices.
A Greens senator repeatedly called on Banducci to reveal Woolworths’ return on equity, a key measure of the profitability of Australia’s largest supermarket chain.
Instead, the outgoing chief executive, who earned $8.6 million during the last financial year, declined to answer questions and focused on the company’s return on investment.
“We measure return on investment, which we believe is the right way to measure the profitability of a company,” he told the inquiry on Tuesday.
Woolworths boss Brad Banducci (pictured) was threatened with being charged with contempt of court during a Senate hearing.
Inquiry chair and Greens senator Nick McKim warned Banducci that failing to answer the question directly, if he knew the answer, could lead to a contempt charge.
‘We are not interested in public relations. “We are not interested in you tricking your way through this committee,” Senator McKim said.
‘This is very important because the Senate has the ability to hold you in contempt and that includes potential penalties including up to six months in prison for you.
“I’m not asking you what you’re concentrating on, Mr. Banducci.” That’s not relevant to this discussion.
‘What’s relevant is what you know: do you know what your return on equity was in the last full financial year? Just yes or no, please, Mr. Banducci.
A contempt charge carries a fine of up to $5,000 and a possible six-month prison sentence.
The lack of disclosure of the response forced the investigation to suspend its hearings.
Banducci had previously offered to take note of the question, after admitting he didn’t know the answer.
“Senator, that’s not what I’m focusing on, I don’t know what the number is specifically,” he said. “Happy to take note of the question.”
The profit margins of major supermarkets, including Woolworths (pictured, have come under scrutiny in the investigation, and Woolworths and Coles have been accused of price gouging).
The cost of living appears unlikely to improve in the short term, with Australia expected to lag behind other countries in reducing inflation and boosting economic growth.
In its latest World Economic Outlook, released on Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund forecast that average headline inflation in Australia would slow to 3.5 per cent in 2024, down from its October projection of 4 per cent. It is currently 4.1 percent.
But consumer price growth would remain at 3 percent on average until 2025, projections showed, at the top of the RBA’s target band of 2 to 3 percent.
Other advanced economies are expected to do better than Australia in reducing prices, with the median inflation rate set to drop to just 2.4 percent in 2024 and fall further to just 2 percent in 2025.
In some developed economies, including Australia, inflation has followed a sideways trend in recent months, prompting caution on the part of the IMF.