Bob Katter (Kennedy, Katter's Australian Party) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes that:

  (a) it was the National Party which deregulated the dairy industry taking the farmers income from 59c a litre down to 41c a litre;

  (b) at the announcement of deregulation there were over 230 dairy farmers on the Atherton Tablelands, now there are 51;

  (c) neither the ALP or LNP will introduce arbitration for farmers;

  (d) for supply and demand in the free market to work there must be an unlimited number of sellers and buyers; and

  (e) dairy farmers in North Queensland have only one processor to sell to and in the whole of Australia effectively only two buyers of milk - the supermarket duopoly; and

(2) therefore, condemns both sides of politics in creating misery and heartache where dairy farmers are the victims of the free market 'fundamentalists' in this House.

Leave not granted.

Mr Speaker, I am not sure of the process, but I want to move it anyway—

An honourable member interjecting—

by moving for a suspension of standing orders to bring forward the motion.

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