Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too look forward to making my contribution on this urgency motion. This is an interesting topic. It has been going on in this place and states' houses for years and years and years. In fact, it is one of those conversations, believe it or not, that can be a barbecue stopper. The amount of interest is amazing. When you talk to ordinary Australians—and I know that is a challenge for us in this place here, but we are outside talking to ordinary Aussies—it is of major importance. Aussies want to know where their food comes from.

I just want to touch on the announcement by the Prime Minister, Minister Joyce and Minister Macfarlane the other day. I have to say that at least they are going to do something, but the political blowtorch has been put to them. I have been on the record numerous times as chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport legislation and references committees, through government and opposition, that I have absolutely no faith in our labelling laws—none at all. I have not hidden that. Maybe I could have used different words, but when all is said and done it is a load of bull. Our labelling laws are absolutely disgraceful, as is how governments all over the country have allowed this to go on.

They have had no political guts to take this on, because there is this massive lobby. The Food and Grocery Council are the leaders of this debate, ably backed and supported by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. There is a common thread there, and it is their CEO, or previous CEO, Ms Kate Carnell. She has been a real advocate for not having any truth in labelling. She has not hidden that, and I have numbers of quotes where she has come out and called it unnecessary red tape or knee-jerk reactions. Well, when 21 people come down with hepatitis A, I do not think it is a knee-jerk reaction when the people of Australia say, 'Hang on; all we want is informed choice.'

The majority of us in this place who have had discussions, arguments and blues over food labelling in Australia are not anti bringing in food from overseas, because we have to remember that 70 per cent of the seafood that we consume is imported. So we are not against it. All we want is for the consumers to be able to make an informed decision. We want consumers to walk into a restaurant, a pub, a bar, a takeaway food outlet, a cafe or the supermarket, be able to pick up a menu or product, and actually know that it is not lying—if it says it is Australian made, it is Australian made. You know what? If 90 per cent of it is not Australian made, tell the people where it has come from.

I want to talk about something that Senator Williams touched on. Senator Williams, Senator Xenophon, Senator Bullock, Senator Lines, Senator Whish-Wilson and I had a couple of hearings in the seafood inquiry, one in Sydney and then one in Darwin. The common thread that came through was that the seafood industry support labelling—putting on there that it is either Australian seafood or imported. We are not worried which river or farm it came out of or what part of the world it came from. All we want is for the consumer to know where that piece of fish, prawn fritter, crabstick or whatever it may be came from.

I thank my fellow senators, because the report that we came out with was a work of collegiate style. There were no blues. We were all in agreement, because in our committee we take forward this belief: we want to do what is best for Australia. We are not interested in the stupid little political games that are played on some committees. Some of the committees, unfortunately, get tangled up in that. We do not, and the proof is in our reports and in our work. We might argue amongst ourselves and we will get into it, but at the end of the day we want what is best for our country.

So it was a decision of the committee when I suggested to them, 'Why don't we go up to the Northern Territory?' because the Northern Territory has mandated laws that say, 'You must state where this seafood came from.' We travelled up there, and we wanted to meet with people who were opposed when it was originally brought in—in about 2009, I think—by the previous government. I think it was the previous Labor government that brought it in, but it does not matter if it was Labor or Liberal; it is there, and it is a great thing.

So we met with the Australian Hotels Association, who were adamantly opposed to mandated or compulsory labelling of seafood. We also met with fish and chip shop owners, restaurateurs and bar owners. There were a number of very impressive people, but I want to mention one person in particular. I think he had about seven or eight seafood outlets in the Northern Territory. Of course, part of the argument that always came through for why you could not change it was that it would be too hard; it would be red tape. This was Mr Jason Hanna. He said that at the time he was opposed, but he said quite clearly that it is absolutely no big deal to just add the word 'Australian' or 'imported'.

When you look at a lot of fine restaurants, they may have that wonderful menu, and you think that could be hard work. It is no different from the evidence that we took from Mr Simon Matthews, the owner of Pee Wee's at the Point, the top-notch restaurant in Darwin. What they all came out and said was that the best thing they did for their businesses, their consumers and their clients was to actually tell them where that seafood came from. They said that, when people would walk into the high-class restaurant, the fish and chip shop, the cafe or whatever and look at the menu, they expected to pay an extra dollar or two or three for that piece of fish, but when they found out it was Australian they all said, to a one, they were happy to do that. They were happy to be given the opportunity to make that choice, and that choice flowed through in sales boosts. Everyone we spoke to said that it has been fantastic; they wished it was done all over the place. That led the committee to its one recommendation: this system must be implemented throughout the country.

The committee visited Woolworths in Palmerston. I have had some blues with Coles, don't worry about that, and they will continue, but Woolworth and Coles actually put the signs on the trays of fish, prawns and oysters—whatever it was—showing where they are from. When we visited that supermarket and we went to the seafood counter, there were about eight trays of seafood product. Of the eight trays, six were Australian and two were imported. The manager of the Woolworth store in Palmerston said to us, 'The proof is there, because Australians want Australian seafood.' Those who do not want Australian seafood, for whatever reason, have the choice to take the cheaper option.

It is not only that. When we are buying Australian seafood, let us not forget about health and safety, but we are also proudly talking about Australian jobs. I have to tell you: I cannot see any downside when we are promoting Australian farmers, horticulture, agriculture and all the service industries that bounce off, hang off or rely on these valuable industries to our nation. Why should we duck and dive? Why should we be scared of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, led by Ms Kate Carnell and whoever else, or the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry because of red tape? This is a load of nonsense.

One of the one-liners we took from our inquiry in Darwin was from a very influential man in the Northern Territory seafood industry, Mr Bill Passey. Mr Passey is actually a West Aussie, but he started up Australia Bay Seafoods. I think they have five or six boats operating out of Darwin. Mr Passey said that they do all the hard work. They go out there and make sure that the stocks are sustainable and the industry is sustainable. They make sure they are employing Australians on their boats, on the wharf, waiting to get the freight off, and in their fish factories. They pay their taxes in Australia. They comply with all the environmental regulations and everything that goes with them. But he said that they are absolutely let down once they shut the truck doors and that product leaves. He said they get no support. There is no support for Australian jobs. When the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Food and Grocery Council are running this ridiculous scare campaign, we should not put any more burden on business. The Prime Minister himself was running that until last Friday. Thank goodness he has had a change of heart. It is amazing what happens when the political blowtorch goes on you. I want to make sure that we can make our food and our consumption choices ourselves with informed debate—but do you know what? I proudly stand here and say I cannot think of anything better than Australian farmers getting a fair crack. I could not think of anything better than Australian fishermen getting a fair crack.

It just irks me. We do not need any more inquiries. I know the Prime Minister and the ministers have called for inquiries. We have had numerous inquiries. This building has been swamped with food inquiries. There were inquiries in 2011, 2012 and 2013, there were two in 2014 and now we are going to have another one. We do not need any more. Get the fan out, walk into the tabling office, blow the dust off the reports we have there and bloody read them.