Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, at your insistence I had better make this a quality three minute and now maybe 20 second contribution to this debate on farmers. Let me say at the outset that I strongly support the principle behind the motion moved by my good friend the honourable member for Lyons. It is vital to recognise that Tasmanian farmers ought to be supported. It is also very important to have proper labelling laws and so on. I do think, though, it inappropriate for the member for Lyons to seek in some way, shape or form to criticise the current government for its failure to have appropriate labelling laws. As a member of a party supporting the government, I have very great admiration for not only the farmers of Tasmania but also the farmers of Australia, including the farmers of the federal electorate of Fisher situated on the Sunshine Coast. Australian farmers, including Tasmanian farmers, have succeeded in promoting their produce as some of the freshest and tastiest in the world, and that is certainly very important. The member for Lyons is no doubt a keen advocate of his electorate, and we are very pleased these days to have the member for Bass and the member for Braddon as members of the Liberal Party of Australia because they also are able to verify how effective the Tasmanian farming community is in producing and selling products of very great quality.

The member opposite representing the Australian Labor Party has falsely criticised the government over an issue that I think really ought to have a bipartisan approach. The labelling of foods has attracted considerable interest over a very long time and the Australian government under its current manifestation is amongst those who have had a longstanding interest in this topic. It is good to know that consumers around Australia will soon be able to better determine the origin of the foods which they buy, thanks to the introduction by the Australian government, in December 2005, of a new country of origin food-labelling standard for Australia. This issue of having accurate and readable labelling on all of our foods has been the focus of government attention for some time. In October last year, the public was further informed that the government wanted clear labelling of foods to reduce the chance of confusion on the part of the consumer. It was made clear then that the states should shoulder a great proportion of the blame that has arisen as a result of that confusion. There has also been evidence that some of the governments of the states and territories have not made the effort they should have with respect to enforcing country of origin labelling. This is unacceptable, and I understand that the Australian government has had words with the recalcitrant states on this issue. I hope the honourable member for Lyons, who is now in the chair, has contacted the re-elected Labor government of Tasmania to ask that it pull its socks up and show some improvements to its own performance in that area.

The new food standards came about as a result of negotiations among officials in both Australia and New Zealand. For unpackaged fruit, vegetables, nuts and seafood, the standard will come into effect within three months, while the standard will come into force in December for unpackaged pork products and in December 2007 for packaged goods. The Australian government, in its Liberal manifestation, has long recognised the benefits of clearer, better labelling. There have also been considerable requests from the general public, because they want to know that what they buy is Australian. This is an important issue, and I thank the House for the opportunity to make a contribution.

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