Microlooting and macro problems

Stealing has a new name. Yes, it’s 2026, so shoplifting will no longer do. Instead, people are now ‘microlooting’. Sigh. 

But there’s a serious issue under the TikTok-ification of language. Apparently, there is a growing phenomenon of people stealing small things from big corporations. Petty theft might be the new political protest. 

It may also be a sign of growing inequality and a near constant cost of living crush. A story from just before Christmas featured a small local supermarket that was losing around $150,000 a year to shoplifting. That’s not political protest, unless you’re vehemently opposed to multipack items being sold separately. 

Last year, crime across Victoria reached its highest level in almost a decade. Retail theft got so bad towards the end of last year that both the Victorian and West Australian governments introduced new laws.

This may be the inequality canary in the coal mine. 

Former US presidential candidate Andrew Yang said AI could lead to "inequality on an epic, unprecedented scale." Here in Australia, new research from the John Curtin Research Centre seems to confirm this fear, finding unchecked AI could intensify worker surveillance, unsafe workloads and job insecurity.

The government is attempting to respond. 

This week, they established the AI Employment and Workplaces Forum to ensure AI’s productivity benefits are shared. The announcement, however, ruled out union veto rights and insisted AI has had only a limited effect on jobs so far.

Meanwhile, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is expected to make intergenerational equity a major theme of his May 12 budget.

Something probably needs to be done, and soon. Otherwise we’ll all be microlooting from Harris Farm - not just in protest, but out of necessity.