I accept your point, but considering it is not a box but a sleeve I’ll give them a bit of slack. 
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The 2nd pic shows how the cookies are arranged when just out of the wrapping.
In the 1st pic, the cookies clearly have been pushed upright and close together,
probably to prove the point of excessive packaging.
When the price and the weight of a product are clearly shown we can make our decision if it’s good value or not.
In my opinion, if there’s been excessive packaging we can lament the waste, but not call it dishonest or illegal practice.
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Not illegal but perhaps using size of the package to entice similar to packets of chocolate that have not really gotten smaller in size of packaging but the chocolate has certainly shrunk in weight and thickness. Do some/many buy the bigger or smaller lettuce when paying the same for each? I would hazard the eye tends to pick the larger first, we are wired to do it.
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I am not a fan of biscuits but if the packaging is designed to stop the cookies from crumbling, I don’t mind the space. It’s like crisp packets, they are half filled with air.
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Air packaging done properly?
Thank the Italians to show us how. Less than half of the volume is contents, but not one has broken in transit!
The product promotion adds even more empty packaging:
“PURE GOODNESS, from the heart of the Alps”
That little bit of Alpine coconut makes all the difference to the health value of the cream, sugar and chocolate? 
They taste a bit like a creamy rich and overly sweet TimTam while dusting your plate, table cloth and shirt front with a powdery snow of coconut flakes. 100gm to the packet!
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Rofl Maybe they grow their Coconuts in greenhouses on the slopes in the central part of the Alps or in a tunnel in the midst of them. How else could they declare at the heart of the Alps? Ooops maybe the milk is from the Alps that is used and so is the pure goodness.
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Loaker’s promotion also says: “When a love of nature and enthusiasm for baking are combined…creations where AIR …pure and fresh…”
But, hey, with a name like Alfons Loacker, don’t blame it all on the Italians!
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FWIW. The back of the wrapper of the Coles Peanut Cookies says: Made in the Netherlands
Ingredients: Peanuts 30%. Sugar. Shortening [Palm Fat…] Margerine [ Palm Fat, Coconut Fat Acid, Rapeseed Oil…]
Glaze: Milk protein, Palm Fat, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Oil…]
They are about 1/4” in the middle.
There’s 6-10 split peanuts on top.
With the glaze, they look like plastic food in Japanese food showcases.
The taste is insipid, leaves a strong Baking Powder aftertaste.
$1.75 for 175g. (9 Cookies).
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I absolutely do find it shonky. I’m prepared to be corrected but there appears to be no practical reason for this packaging configuration beyond the oldest trick in the packaging book ie ‘make them think there’s more in the package than there really is.’
I understand that it might not be shonky in terms of packaging laws re weight etc but the target customer audience probably doesn’t have the time or desire to consider cost/kg and then compare alternatives etc. Packaging like this distracts consumers from the cost/kg data on shelves that we probably had to foot the on-costs for. Maybe not shonky but intentionally misleading and manipulative? Most likely.
But what really peeves me about this is the environmental implications ie waste and landfill associated with OTT packaging. Millions of taxpayer dollars are being allocated to environmental protection and it’s a political hot potato. Industry overheads for stricter waste disposal requirements are passed on to consumers, industry itself often creates excessive waste by choice, and yet AFAIK such behaviour gets little to no airplay. Don’t get me started about the drink fridges with no doors on them at checkouts, or cafes that have gas space heaters burning outside in the middle of winter when no one sits outside.
Cheers
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It’s the nature of the beast in the business world to mislead and manipulate customers: Caveat emptor.
One remedy to package waste and to high cost of biscuits ( The Loacker Coconut are $1.00 each) would be to make our own.
The recipe is easy: 3:2:1 (Flour, Fat, Sugar). Just let your imagination go as to what to add: dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, and so on.
Problem solved. 
The most shonky thing to me is the offensive word “ cookies”
We absorb American culture like a sponge, it’s disturbing.
This is just one example. What about how Americans invent words because they don’t know grammar, just put “ized” or “ality” on the end of any word you think of to make a new verb. Or statements like “ my bad”, it’s totally distressing to me but most Aussies seem oblivious.
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One hidden risk might be if Australia changes too much to be like the USofA there will be less attraction for American tourists to come and visit. It will me more like popping over the border into another state than an foreign holiday destination.
On the other hand?
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I always understood in the recent past that the allure of Aussies was their larrikin rough and tumble approach, irreverence. That’s not PC, so now we are sanitised with no soul.
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The only plus about buying plastic wrapped goods at Coles is that stores have a plastic returns bin just inside the main doors. My local Council will not accept such waste in their recycling bins but Coles states what types of plastic they will accept (a lot) and advises that it is recycled mostly into cheap furniture! I can confirm that the bin fills up very quickly…it is just up to us to make the effort, in this case!
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The company that which collects the soft plastics for recycling is Redcycle…
Woolworths stores also have the same soft plastic recycling bins as Coles. The Redcycle website also provides information on the location of the nearest recycling bins.
Much more than furniture is made from the recycling of soft plastics…Replas also makes a range of other products which are outlined on their website…
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I am not sure how many Woolworths stores have recycling bins but where I live it is only the Coles stores (three in local area) that offer this service. We also have an x-ray film return facility, a few bottle and can depots and, Aldi for the old batteries. The more the merrier!
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They all do…see
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/sustainability/recycling#contentSection-3
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My apologies. Coles, I believe, started their instore recycling in 2011 but Woolies only in mid 2018. I used to use either store but when I found that Coles were recycling soft plastic and Woolies weren’t I stopped shopping at Woolies! Now I can use either and safely dispose of my accumulated soft plastics…
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Has anyone ever bought the huge box of chocolate covered macadamias to find 8 yes eight nuts placed in a cellophane tray about 2.5cm apart. Not cheap either. Can’t remember the manufacturer but sure can taste the disappointment on opening.
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