Australia’s consumer watchdog will be given a $30 million boost to crack down on “unfair” practices by supermarkets and retailers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will on Tuesday put the supermarket giants on notice for “dodgy practices”.

“We don’t want to see ordinary Australians, families and pensioners being taken for a ride by the supermarkets, and we’re taking steps to make sure they get a fair go at the checkout,” he said.

The extra money will help the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission complete more investigations and enforcement.

It will aid the commission in monitoring behaviour and investigating concerns about falsely justifying higher prices.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will also work with the states and territories to reform planning and zoning regulations to make the supermarket sector more competitive by opening up more sites for new stores.

“We’re taking decisive action to help Australians get fairer prices at the supermarket checkout, in stores and online,” Albanese said.

“More funding for the ACCC will help to make pricing fair, boost competition and make sure that there are significant consequences for supermarkets who do the wrong thing.”

Planning regulations are being viewed as a potential barrier to competition by stopping business entry and expansion.

Tuesday’s update comes after households have struggled under cost-of-living pressures as inflation remains high and mortgage interest rates are also up.

Labor hopes the hip-pocket pain for many Australians will be relieved by the Reserve Bank cutting interest rates ahead of the federal election, which must be held by May 2025.

Albanese’s announcement follows the ACCC revealing last week that it was taking Coles and Woolworths to court, alleging both chains made millions in revenue by jacking up prices for dozens of goods only to lower them slightly and then designate them as “specials”. The big retailers have been accused of fuelling inflation with the contentious tactics.

It also follows the release of research that shows that Australian shoppers are paying more at the checkout than many families in Britain, Ireland and New Zealand.

Trust in the major supermarkets has plummeting recently, with figures published on Monday suggesting 26.7 per cent of shoppers are changing their behaviour to avoid companies they think are exploiting them.

The government has also released for consultation a mandatory Food and Grocery Code. It would impose multimillion-dollar penalties on companies for serious breaches.

-with AAP