Gavan O'Connor (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. I refer the minister to this statement by the former Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party on 1 October 2004, which begins:

A re-elected Coalition Government will impose a mandatory code of conduct on the horticulture industry.

Is the minister aware that the minister for industry told ABC Radio this morning:

The government’s undertaking, as part of our 2004 election commitments, was that we would introduce a voluntary code of conduct and, failing that, that we would introduce a mandatory code.

Minister, who is telling the truth?

Peter McGauran (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. As was announced on Sunday, 10 September, meetings will be held with fruit and vegetable growers and wholesale representatives to develop an enforceable code of conduct for the industry. The key aim is to develop a code, enforceable by law, that will provide growers with a transparency of contracts that many currently do not have. The government is determined to have a code that includes minimum terms of trade that are transparent and enforceable in law. Growers have the right to know whether the wholesaler is acting as an agent or a merchant prior to the sale. Other aspects being worked on as part of this process include an effective dispute resolution mechanism and the provision of clear market signals on price.

Growers, as well as those in the whole supply chain, including wholesalers and fresh markets, know who is acting in their best interests. They know who are the friends of producers as well as small business—the coalition parties, not the Labor Party.

Gavan O'Connor (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table the fruit and vegetable industry code of conduct press release by former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, which explicitly says, ‘We will impose a mandatory code of conduct.’

Leave granted.