Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

In relation to the final part of the senator's question, there is no conflict of interest. In relation to the first part of the question, I clearly outlined to the Senate last week my reasons; I will do so again. My belief was that the website's going live was premature for three reasons. Firstly, the Health Star Rating system has not yet commenced on supermarket shelves. It would have been very confusing for consumers to go into a supermarket and realise that no star rating was on the front of packs as yet. Secondly, the forum took a unanimous decision to have an extensive cost-benefit analysis done that was due to report back to the forum in June this year. It was premature to have the website live until this report was completed. Thirdly, the Front-of-Pack Labelling Oversight and Advisory Committee was charged at the December meeting with advising the forum on processes for dealing with anomalies that still exist in the system and that advice has not yet been given to the forum. The website indicated, at the foot of the website, that it was the Commonwealth of Australia.

I based my decision to direct that the website be taken down on all of those issues. The issue around the placing of the website should correctly be a decision of the forum. There was no decision in the communique put out by the forum relating to the website going live at the December meeting.