Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm taking this opportunity to get a better deal for our farmers. I'm calling on Coles, Woolworths, ALDI Australia and IGA Australia to consider increasing the amount they pay our farmers for their produce. Last week I sent letters to them and a parcel to Channel 9 asking them to put public pressure on retail giants and get more money returned to our primary producers. Nothing has been done. My farmers have asked: is it because these grocery giants pay for advertising during commercial shows? Has that stopped them exposing the unfair financial returns to farmers? An extra 20c a litre for milk, an extra 20c a kilogram for produce and an extra 20c per dozen eggs from their profit would make a huge difference to our primary producers. Many everyday Aussies have said they're happy to see an increase if it goes back to our farmers.

Dairy farmers feel betrayed since deregulation, because the free market they were promised has never eventuated. Instead, we have a form of price fixing. If that happened in any other industry it would come under severe scrutiny. Milk is used as a loss leader to get customers into the back of their stores. Shame on each and every one of these giant retailers. They're manipulating the dairy industry into the dust of the drought. Farmers can't build a financial buffer against hard times. The return to the farmers for their hard 24/7 work, early hours and no holidays is worth more. They need to be able to build a buffer. We pay twice the price for water than we pay for milk. How is that fair? (Time expired)