Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

You voted it down and, tragically, there are farmers across the country who are going to the wall. We had the Queensland dairy farmers showing exactly what the milk price war has done to them, including the losses at the farm gate over time—the downward spiral that is going on. Exactly the same will now occur with Coles's discounting of fruit and vegetables—a 50 per cent reduction in the price of some lines of fruit and vegetables. Where will that leave the growers? How long is that discount in place?

Senator Brandis interjecting—

Senator Ryan interjecting—

The word 'hypocritical' has been used in here. Let me say, in relation to the Liberal Party and National Party's position when it comes to farmers and farm-gate prices, whenever Coles and Woolworths are mentioned they get up on their soapbox in communities around Australia saying they are doing everything they can to address the duopoly. Then, when you bring things in here which will actually start to address that, they vote against it because, when push comes to shove, they are not prepared to stand up for a decent farm-gate price.

This goes to the bigger picture issue of food security and food sovereignty in Australia. I would love to have a private member's debate in here at length on the issue of how you keep farmers on the land in Australia when they are under assault from coal seam gas, which the coalition totally support. Every last one of them is out there supporting the gas companies against the farmers. We are seeing the water resources of Australia compromised by coal seam gas miners and, behind them, the coalition totally support them and then get up and say they support farmers. Well, they are not support­ing farmers in the Year of the Farmer. They are not supporting lifting productivity on farms. How is it lifting productivity when you drive a farmer off the land with coal seam gas expansion? How is that lifting productivity? How is polluting and compro­mising the Great Artesian Basin lifting agricultural productivity? It is not.

We have got a situation here where, if you are serious about keeping farmers on the land and protecting and sustaining the land for food and agricultural production, you would be looking at issues like, first of all, the planning laws that allow so much agricult­ural land to go under urban expansion around the country, you would be looking at issues like forcing the supply chain, and you would be looking at issues like the margin of each stage of the supply chain, so that we could find out with Coles—

Senator Brandis interjecting—

Mr Acting Deputy President, don't you love it when people stand up and make a big issue of respecting the procedures of the chamber and then they just cannot help themselves but interject at length. I am on my feet now speaking. They will have their turn in a moment.