Rex Patrick (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Colbeck, in his capacity as health portfolio minister and the chair of the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation. I ask these questions on behalf of Senator Griff. I refer to the documents provided by Ministers Colbeck and Littleproud in response to Senator Griff's order for the production of documents on FSANZ's proposals for mandatory pregnancy warnings on packaged alcohol. The OPD shows Minister Littleproud received advice from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment that discusses industry concerns but still concludes: 'The department is of the view that there is a lack of evidence to support concerns raised by portfolio alcohol industries.' Why did the federal government use its vote in the forum on food regulation to ask FSANZ to review its proposal, because of concerns raised by industry, when even the department concludes that the industry concerns are exaggerated?