Nine grocery items bill tops $100 in remote community

Tiwi Island residents Denis and Rosie pay twice as much for their groceries than most Australians. (Supplied/AAP PHOTOS)

Apples, carrots, breakfast cereal, flour, pasta, tea bags, cheese, milk and mince might seem like a simple shopping list of essential groceries. 

But in some remote communities, these nine staple items cost a total of more than $100. 

Consumer advocacy organisation Choice conducted a mystery shop in four remote community grocery stores in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

The WA stores were in the Great Sandy Desert and Pilbara regions, while the Northern Territory shops were in the West Daly area and on the Tiwi Islands. 

Choice found the average price of a basket of 10 grocery items in these remote communities was $99.38 - more than double the cost of the same items in capital cities, where they were $44.70 on average. 

The highest price for the items was in NT's West Daly region, where the basket cost $110.82. 

"If you're on a low wage or a Centrelink payment, with a high cost of living, then you are making a choice between what meals you don't have," Mob Strong Debt Help financial counsellor Bettina Cooper told AAP.

"You don't have a choice of shopping somewhere else."

Choice journalist Jarni Blakkarly said the investigation highlighted food insecurity and high prices as significant issues in remote communities across the country. 

“The price differences between identical items in remote communities and capital cities is pretty astounding," he said.

"In capital cities, for example, you’ll pay on average $4.87 for a kilo of apples. 

"At the store we visited on the Tiwi Islands, people are paying $7.50 a kilo. 

"At the West Daly store, apples will set you back $9.10 per kilo."

Financial counsellor Bettina Cooper
People in remote communities are not able to shop around, financial counsellor Bettina Cooper says.

Tiwi Island resident, Rosie told Choice she sometimes had to ask family or friends for help with grocery costs. 

"I didn't realise it was that much to support a little family," she said.

"You want to be independent but you can't because the prices at the shops are really high."

Ms Cooper, a Boandik woman, said she had visited remote communities where prices were not displayed on some items - usually fresh fruit and vegetables.

"You're not going to choose healthy options if you don't know what it's going to cost you," she said.

"We want to have people with healthy diets and less blood pressure, less diabetes, less issues - give them the tools to be able to achieve that goal, not double the cost."

Ms Cooper said governments could help reduce pressure on remote communities by subsiding freight and monitoring remote grocery prices.

"We're not increasing Centrelink payments, wages aren't going up with cost of living, there's no opportunity to shop around - then we should be having price caps on basic essential items," she said.

"If we're serious about closing the gap and serious about giving my First Nations brothers and sisters a fair go, then we need to make sure we're putting people before profit."

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store