Andrew Gee (Calare, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the member for Kennedy, I move:

That this House calls on the Government to immediately legislate for significant reform of Australia's food retail sector to better protect Australian farmers and consumers, by:

(1) divesting to reduce the market share of the major two corporations in the food retail sector;

(2) imposing a customs tariff of five per cent on imported products in recognition of the economic, social and environmental impacts of imports;

(3) introducing a maximum markup of 100 per cent on all produce between farmer (processor) and retail outlet; and

(4) removing the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct as a measure which has long been used to control and restrain suppliers and producers.

It is very clear to the whole country that the major supermarkets have too much power, and they are doing great harm to farmers and consumers right around Australia. Indeed, last week the member for Kennedy came to the electorate of Calare to draw attention to this behaviour and inform the House of the important work that the independents are undertaking to bring justice and a level playing field to farmers and also to consumers in the way that they interact and deal with the major supermarkets.

Just a couple of weeks ago the member for Kennedy and member for Clark famously dressed up as pigs. It was a lighthearted moment to draw attention to a very, very serious issue. With the Senate inquiry into supermarket prices in Orange last week, the member for Kennedy came to Orange—and, yes, there were a couple of pigs there as well—to draw attention to the fact that the supermarkets' snouts are in the money trough. They are rolling around in massive profits, and yet they pay our farmers a pittance and price gouge customers on the way through. Urgent action is required to give our farmers and our consumers a fair go. The point that the member for Kennedy and I were making in Orange last week was that talking about action is not good enough. Words have to be backed up by deeds.

The National Party and the Liberal Party had nine years to tame the supermarket hogs, and they failed. They introduced the grocery code of conduct, and it has turned out to be an absolute dud which has not stopped the price gouging. The National Party and the Liberal Party also introduced laws on the misuse of market power, which have been ineffective in taming the hogs. Calling for the grocery code of conduct to be mandatory is a waste of time. If the grocery code of conduct worked, we wouldn't be having inquiry after inquiry after inquiry. What we want is for the major parties to get behind our Reducing Supermarket Dominance Bill. That's why the Independents are taking action on this. It would significantly shake up the behaviour of the big supermarkets, it would wind back their profit share and level the playing field and it would reduce their supermarket power to 20 per cent over five years. It would also bring in a maximum 100 per cent markup for supermarkets—they're currently marking up by hundreds of per cent—to give farmers and consumers a better deal. The dud Food and Grocery Code of Conduct has failed, and making it mandatory won't do a thing.

We want the National Party, the Liberal Party and the Labor Party—all parties—to not just hold press conferences and talk about taking action. We want them to actually vote in favour of this game-changing legislation. If you're not prepared to back up your big talk with a vote in parliament, it's all about hot air and porkies. We want the major parties to back up their words with deeds. Stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. We want everyone to vote for the Reducing Supermarket Dominance Bill and help get those supermarket snouts out of the trough. Our farmers deserve nothing less. Consumers around our country deserve nothing less. I would urge all members of this House to get behind our game-changing legislation brought to you by the Independents and the crossbench.

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