Mark Baker (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

When I first read the motion moved by the member for Lyons I was somewhat bemused and astonished because all the action and direction on this issue has come from this side of the House. Subsequently, I found myself asking: what efforts has the Australian Labor Party and the member for Lyons made to support Tasmanian farmers? The honourable member says that we on this side of the House are failing to support Tasmanian farmers, that we are not achieving enough gains for farmers, and that we have not acted on the issue of country of origin labelling. So I ask the member for Lyons and his federal colleagues: where were they when we left on the Spirit of Tasmania and held a rally that went across to Melbourne and on to Shepparton, Ballarat, Mildura, Sydney and the steps of this building?

I was at many of the Fair Dinkum Food campaign rallies and I have to say that I never heard the name of the member for Lyons mentioned. Just today I inquired with the federal minister for agriculture and his department whether the Australian Labor Party or the member for Lyons had approached the minister about his concerns as outlined in the motion. I have to inform the House that the answer to both questions was no. There is a lot of rhetoric but not a lot of substance. In his motion the member for Lyons congratulates the Premier of Tasmania on supporting Tasmanian farmers. I can confirm that the Premier was at a number of the rallies. I met with the Premier and sat with him as we crossed Bass Strait with the Fair Dinkum Food campaign. I stood by him at the rally in Melbourne, but, very sadly, I did not see the member for Lyons or any of his federal colleagues.

But should we be surprised? We know that the Australian Labor Party has no credibility whatsoever on this issue. Only recently, through factional brawling, the Labor Party successfully moved to oust the only member of the Australian Labor Party who has any experience in this industry—the member for Corio and shadow minister for agriculture.

This motion calls on the House to condemn the federal government for the lack of labelling laws and to allow the community to make their own decisions on the purchase of fresh food. I have to ask the member for Lyons where he has been these past 10 months. Let me inform him that, in October last year, the Australia New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council agreed to a new country of origin labelling standard, which was gazetted into state and territory law in December 2005. The standard requires a distinct statement of origin on all fresh fruit, vegetables, seafoods and nuts. It will no longer be sufficient just to say that it is imported. Australian consumers now have a genuine choice; they can identify where their fresh food was grown.

To address outstanding concerns on frozen and packaged food products expressed by a number of stakeholders, including the Fair Dinkum Food Campaign organisers, the Australian government directed Food Standards Australia New Zealand to consider the feasibility and a cost benefit analysis of extending the country of origin labelling to products with two or fewer whole food ingredients. A report on this work, including a regulatory impact statement and the outcomes of public consultation, will be finalised at the end of the month. Let me remind the member for Lyons that it was this side of the House that had to lobby his own state’s Labor ministers of agriculture and health who sit on the FSANZ board. The Australian government has only one vote on the board.

Following the Canberra rally in August last year, the Australian government announced a $3 million industry partnership agreement. In delivering on its $3 million commitment, the Australian government has established the Australian Industry Development Group, which comprises a number of senior figures in the Australian vegetable industry. This group will be chaired by the leader of the Fair Dinkum Food Campaign. Sitting alongside him will be the senior manager of fresh produce in Coles supermarkets, the CEO of Simplot Australia, the chair of Horticulture Australia Ltd, the chair of the horticultural branch of the Victorian Farmers Federation and independent industry representation from the largest vegetable nursery in the Southern Hemisphere. The purpose of this group is to implement foundation projects which through an exhaustive process have been determined as the most effective means of creating positive change in the Australian vegetable industry.

By comparison, the alternative government—your party, Member for Lyons—has seen fit to dump its shadow agriculture minister and, at the same time that the Australian government has announced a $3 million commitment, the state government has announced a $4 million commitment. But all we have seen from the state government in Tasmania is three clowns dressed in vegetable outfits going around the shows. I presume we call them ‘Mr Bean’, ‘Mr Carrot’ and ‘Mr Parsnip’! (Time expired)

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