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

Thank you again, for your question. I will repeat what I have often said in this place and publically: this is not my code of conduct and it is not our government's code of conduct; it will be the dairy industry's code of conduct.

There are eight unique regions of dairying in this country, each with very unique challenges and opportunities. The mandatory code of conduct to govern their relationship with the processors has to be fit for all. So it is not up to David Gillespie or Bridget McKenzie or Susan McDonald or Perin Davey to devise a code of conduct that we think suits us. It is for us as a government to deliver a mandatory code of conduct that delivers for the dairy farmers in this country and actually assures them of a transparent model for dealing with their processes.

David Gillespie has been a strong advocate for a broader trading platform—a transparent trading platform and quite an innovative model of trading milk—which the dairy industry itself is examining. As I've said, we've put the draft code out for consultation and we're now dealing with the feedback. (Time expired)