May may, will you feel the same way when there a far fewer jobs, resulting in far less taxes, resulting in far fewer services I wonder!, because apart from the likes of retail, and a few services, most larger corporations can happily do business off shore.

Now as for business welfare, please explain to me how restricting the domination of the two majors is welfare, remembering welfare, by it's very definition is a hand out.

Finally, if by my actions of wanting to protect the rights of small business people, most of them being locals, with kids attending local schools is the wrong attitude to have, them I'm proud to be labeled by the likes of you as a socialist, and I'm willingly guilty as charged.

In the US, the home of big business, they have anti monopoly laws. I can't remember the percentage but no retailer is allowed to have more than say 25%. This means there are a number of large competing chains, & none become as strong as our big two.

I wonder how many Ozzies think enough to see the problem as these two start to control everything? Would they favor a party that wanted to cut back on opening hours, & market share, or would they just see a loss of convenience?

How many realise there is a growing problem?

...How many see there is a growing problem.

Yes hasbeen, not near enough I'm afraid.

Again, I will use butchery as an example, whereby in the late 80's, early 90's many of us were literally printing money, and that's when our gross margins were in the late 20'% to early 30's. Today, very few are printing money and few operate on margins below 50%, yet, many have either shut shop, or are considering to.

It's fair to assume in another five years, costs will drive these retailers from most centers and the ones who will survive will be those who are located in small, suburan strips with understanding land lords.

As for the US and their restriction policies, you're right there as well and yes, I do recall hearing Bob Katter saying it was somewhere in the order of 25%.

Here, our big two now control fuel, liquor, gambling and they are chasing pharmaceutic products, gold lotto and around the clock trading hours. Add to this the fact that they are also implementing ways to slash staff numbers, by installing the likes of auto checkouts and placing the packaging costs and burdens back on to the suppliers.

Yep, it all going to end in tears.,

"Yep, it's all going to end in tears" says rehctub.

I agree, it sure is. It's going to end in tears for the inefficient companies who won't or can't adapt, refine, change, invent, install efficiencies and stop blaming the government ... in other words bad, inefficient companies who don't deserve success.

THAT'S how capitalism works rehctub. If you're not smart enough, you lose, struggle and eventually go out of business. Apparently that wouldn't be so in the Peoples Republic Of Rehctub though, as the "government" would always be there to "help" business.