Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

More than 109,000 people have signed a change.org petition launched by the Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation calling for Coles and Woolworths to apply a 10c levy on all their milk products, and I encourage everyone to sign it. Coles and Woolworths' decision to restrict the 10c drought levy to some of their private-label milk completely undermines the Queensland dairy farmers' proposal. The levy needs to go on all milk, and the funds need to be paid through the processor back to the farmers. I'm appalled by all of this nonsense that Coles and Woolworths have nothing to do with farmgate prices. Coles and Woolworths heavily influence the value of the supply chain. They slash the price of milk and cut the price they pay processors. Their actions force the processors to cut the price they pay to farmers. It also puts the squeeze on branded milk to be competitive with supermarket private-label milk. When I hosted a dairy forum in my electorate recently, everyone there agreed the Queensland dairy industry faces extinction unless Queensland dairy farmers get a fair price for their milk. It's high time for Coles and Woolworths to play fair. The calls for a royal commission into their dodgy practices are growing. The world is changing and their business-as-usual rip-offs will no longer be an option.