Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much for the question. It gives me an opportunity to talk about the great work of Senator McDonald in supporting dairy farmers, not just in Queensland but right around the country. This is in the face of Labor's failed policy perspective that is supported by Senator Hanson against the wishes of the majority of dairy farmers, and that's for a floor price, which would actually decimate dairies' ability to bargain and receive a fair price.

What we're interested in on this side of the parliament is a fair price for our dairy farmers, not a floor price. That's exactly what Susan McDonald is championing. And it's exactly right. The supermarkets have to be held to account. You can't walk out into the public sphere and say, 'The drought's going to drive up meat prices; the drought's going to drive up horticulture costs for consumers,' and then fail to enter into negotiations with processors that would see the impact of the drought, of high water and high fodder costs, on our dairy farmers. Actually, you say that consumers are going to have to pay more for their milk— (Time expired)