Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

This really should be a no-brainer. It appears that the Senate will be voting down this bill. It is an opportunity lost to bring about a simple, sensible reform that would not only inform consumers in our nation's restaurants and takeaway shops where their seafood comes from but also provide a massive boost in employment, in the thousands, in the seafood sector. This has been a great success in the Northern Territory since 2011. We know it works. In good faith we deferred this vote on the basis that the coalition would get back to us with a plan on seafood labelling. There is no plan in place, which is disappointing. I thank all my crossbench colleagues who co-sponsored and supported this bill, and members of the coalition and the opposition who genuinely pushed publicly and privately for their parties to support this reform. I acknowledge that the opposition has recently taken this on as a policy, which is welcome. Sooner rather than later, Australians must get the seafood labelling laws that they want and deserve.