Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie has spoken on Nine’s Today program about the interim review of Australia’s supermarket code of conduct, which recommended guidelines be made compulsory for major chains, which could face fines that run into the billions if they fail to comply.

“We don’t think it goes far enough. We’ve been calling for a mandatory code into supermarkets for a very long time,” she said.

“Obviously, our suppliers, as small businesses and particularly, our primary producers, need a better deal and some security when dealing with the big supermarkets.

“But I do think that Woolworths has a point in terms of who is captured by this. We’ve got large multinationals in the supermarket ring who aren’t captured. So I’d like to see this expanded over time,” she said.

While Woolworths is already a signatory to the voluntary code and supports making it compulsory, the company believes more retailers should be subject to its terms.

“The code should apply to all major retailers operating in Australia, including global retail giants such as Amazon and Costco, who have global revenues many times the size of Australian supermarkets,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.