Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Resources, Forestry and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I remind the House that, in August last year, some 130 farm tractors descended on Parliament House after travelling the Tasmanian, Victorian and New South Wales countryside at the snail’s pace of 30 kilometres per hour. The journey of the Tasmanian potato growers, with the support of the member for Lyons, sparked national interest in a campaign on food labelling laws aimed at helping farmers and their communities to promote their products to Australian consumers. This year, the leader of those farmers, Richard Bovill, was recognised with an Order of Australia award. This highlighted his more than 20-year fight for rural communities. It also underlines the importance of the food labelling campaign he has led on behalf of these farmers and their communities.

But this issue is not just for Tasmanian farmers and their communities but for all Australians. It is about what is in Australia’s national best interests. I think I speak for most Australians in saying that none of us want to wake up one day, in five or 10 years time, and discover that our country, which is known for its agriculture, has suddenly become a net importer of vegetables. But that is exactly where we are headed as a nation at the moment. It is time we stopped playing politics as the member for Braddon has done in his contribution in the House today. This is in the best interests of all Australians.

I am sure that most Australians, were they more aware of the impact of their supermarket decisions, would take a stand and buy their own locally grown produce, given the choice. But, to make these decisions, they need to know which produce is Australian. The debate about better food labelling is not new, but we are reaching a critical juncture for the impact of such laws on farmers and local communities. This is why I fully support the motion by my colleague the member for Lyons, Dick Adams, calling on the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, to introduce legislation that ensures the labelling of farm products is unambiguous and works for the benefit of all primary producers. It is simply about choice.

I contend that it is hard enough, in a fiercely competitive international marketplace, for Australian farmers to compete with produce from other countries. Australian vegetables account for less than three per cent of the world vegetable trade. The industry is facing declining competitiveness, which could reverse our position as a net vegetable exporter within three to five years. This in turn places supply pressure on the domestic Australian front, which makes up 70 per cent of all Tasmanian vegetable sales—a large chunk of that state’s agricultural produce.

The international position of our farmers in the world market is made all the more difficult because of the unlevel playing field in agriculture due to the massive subsidies in the EU, the US and Japan. I am pleased that the British Prime Minister raised some of these issues in his address to the parliament today. A more concerted effort by the Australian government, through its leadership of the Cairns Group, might have assisted the G20 developing countries in their fight against these tariffs in last year’s world trade negotiations. Again, the government was missing in action.

However, Australians can play a role in influencing outcomes for these farmers and our national economy, and that is to try wherever possible to buy Australian produce. The existing country of origin labelling laws are inconsistently interpreted and applied, making it difficult for consumers to make the choice of buying Australian produce. It is time the Australian government made it easier for all Australians to make these choices, to the benefit both of Tasmanian farmers and of the country as a whole.

I believe this fits in with past strategies pursued by Labor in government, under the Agrifood Council, which were about not only improving farm practices alone but also positioning Australian food manufacturing industries to capitalise on the growth in the middle class in the Asian economy for the purposes of buying high-quality manufactured Australian food products. The country of origin campaign is about Australian consumers having the right to know what they purchase. I very much believe, as does the member for Lyons, that, given that choice, they will err on the side of supporting not only Tasmanian farmers but Australian farmers generally, and in doing so will support local communities who are doing it very tough on the international stage.

I commend the motion to the House, and I congratulate not only the Premier of Tasmania, Paul Lennon, who was rewarded with a very handsome majority at the recent state election, but also the member for Lyons, Dick Adams. They have shown collective leadership, in association with some members on the other side of the chamber and some members in the state parliament, to educate the Australian community on this issue. (Time expired)

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