Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

I am sure she is watching. The member for Grey and his committee came up with a very good set of recommendations which we then began to work on. The impetus on this issue obviously increased in relation to the food scare that we had just a little while ago. As a result of that, the Prime Minister has formed a ministerial working group, which I chair. We have had wide-ranging consultations to ensure that the world-class Australian food that we produce is clearly branded in the supermarket. We do have the cleanest, best food in the world, and we should be making sure that consumers know it.

As a result of the discussions of the committee and the discussions we have had with industry, we are close to finalising a branding system which will allow people to walk in to the supermarket and, without their glasses, see whether or not a product is made and processed here in Australia. In fact, we are going to be placing out for consumer testing a symbol with a set of words which clearly defines that a product is made and processed here in Australia and contains a percentage—100 per cent, more than 50 per cent or less than 50 per cent—of Australian food.

We need to do this because consumers are demanding it. I am confident that, along with the Minister for Agriculture, cabinet will approve a proposal which will, once and for all, actually give the consumers the confidence and understanding they need in labelling. They need to know that the product is processed here in Australia. They need to know how much of that produce was grown or produced here in Australia. Conversely, they also need to know if a product is brought in from overseas.

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