Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to extend my sincere gratitude and thanks to the member for Kennedy for raising this matter of public importance today. It is a matter of incredible public importance. It speaks to not only the duopoly in Australia in terms of groceries and food prices but something far broader than that, and that is food security within Australia. As the minister pointed out earlier in his contribution, the government started to take real action on this months ago now. I stand before the House as the Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and say that the committee produced a report called Australian food story: feeding the nation and beyond. That committee had excellent contributions from Ms Sharkie, members of the government and members of the opposition. We travelled the length and breadth of the country, talking to farmers, food producers and manufacturers, and food and grocery suppliers, Woolworths appeared before the committee, and I commend them for that. Coles did not. We talked to literally tens of dozens of organisations that represent thousands of people who feed millions of Australians every day about food security. It was a serious inquiry and I commend this report to you, Member for Kennedy. If you are truly interested in feeding Australia and reducing food insecurity here, please take the time to read it.

We have made some really great recommendations, including things like having a minister for food. We think food is so important we should have a minister for it. At the moment it falls in the gap between agriculture and industry. Let's face it: everyone eats. We want Australians to be able to afford to eat and eat well. That is why we have recommended a minister for food. We have gone so far as to say that we need a national food action plan. It's not good enough to just say, 'We need to whack Coles and Woolworths on the head.' It goes far deeper than them.

I'm happy the member raised dairy, because one of our key recommendations—in fact, the third recommendation of this report—is looking at the dairy industry and the seafood industry. So you are onto something here, Member for Kennedy. You know it's important and so do the government. We get this. That is why we have requested the ACCC look at this issue, and we have also asked Dr Craig Emerson, who is respected by every facet of political advantage in Australia, to have a good look at what is happening with our food and grocery suppliers.

I want to just read something from the report's foreword:

Despite Australia being one of the most food secure countries in the world, recent developments both at home and abroad have shown that food security presents real and growing challenges to the nation. Food security is already a challenge for many in our community—particularly those on lower incomes and in remote communities. COVID-19 and recent flood events both impacted the integrity of the food supply chain. The war in Ukraine has driven up grain prices and the cost of energy and fuel. Outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease and Lumpy Skin Disease in Indonesia have highlighted biosecurity risks to our food system—as has the arrival of Varroa mite on Australia's shores. Food security is not something that any of us can take for granted. It requires ongoing attention from industry, the community and governments.

The formulation of a comprehensive national food plan is something I feel really passionate about, setting out measurable targets and regular updates so that we know Australians are able to afford really high-quality food, that Australian farmers can receive the prices that they deserve, not to be gouged by people that set prices, and also that we can have faith in our supply chains. That requires a lot of investment. It requires a lot of serious investigation. But I have never been prouder to be part of a government that is actually taking this seriously. It's the first time in two decades we've looked at this. In fact, the last time we looked at this seriously people said, 'We need to do something,' and that didn't happen. We are doing something and we are going to not only make Australia a food-secure nation but improve the plight of all Australians who eat and deserve the best food possible.

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