Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

Today, we saw a disgraceful and disrespectful performance from the government towards Australia's farmers. Australia's farmers came to Canberra from all over the country today. Some made the trek across the Nullarbor from Western Australia to express their concerns about government policy. Not one government member or senator was prepared to turn up out the front and meet with or talk to Australia's farmers. It's an absolute disgrace that the government weren't prepared to front up to our farmers. But worse, when we asked questions in the chamber today, the government's response was to diminish the presence of the farmers out the front—to undermine and diminish the number of farmers who came to Canberra to express their concerns and who had one point to make: would you listen to us? Not only would the government not listen to the farmers; they came into this place today during question time trying to diminish their presence. It was a shameful performance.

They talk about their Future Made in Australia policy. They talk about the work that they've done for farmers through the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct. They promised the farmers that, out of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct, they would get a better deal. What does that add up to for my Tasmanian farmers? For pea growers in Tasmania, a better deal from the supermarkets means a 34 per cent cut in production. Coles wants to mitigate its risk, so what does it do? It decides to buy 9,000 tonnes of peas from overseas instead of getting it grown and processed in Tasmania. It's an absolute shame on those in government who talk the big talk, but, when it comes to genuine action, it's the farmers who end up with the raw end of the stick. That's exactly what has happened to farmers in Tasmania who now have a 34 per cent reduction in their pea crop for the next summer. What happened to the better deal they were promised from the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct? That didn't last long. It's only a few weeks since that policy was announced, and yet they are already getting dudded by the supermarkets, which have decided that they would prefer to buy products from India, Vietnam, China or New Zealand than from Australian farmers.

It's no wonder that the farmers turned up out the front of this building—thousands of them in their trucks—to express their dissatisfaction with the way they are being treated by this government, and not one member of the Labor Party had the courtesy to go out and do the one thing that they asked for them to do which was: 'Please listen to us. Come and talk to us; we can help you with your policy implementation.' Not one Labor member turned up.

They come in here and talk about their Future Made in Australia policy. What does that mean for Australian farmers? Coles buys their products overseas. What does the new Food and Grocery Code of Conduct mean for Australian farmers? They were promised it would mean a better deal for farmers. Coles have already decided to buy a third of their pea crop this year from overseas. There were 26,000 tonnes of peas produced in Tasmania last year; there will be 17,000 tonnes this coming season. What a great deal for Australian farmers! The government came in here. Not only did they disrespect the farmers by not turning up; they then turned up in the chamber and diminished their presence. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's no wonder that Australian farmers are angry. They just want to be heard.

I'm sure my colleagues will talk more about the impact on the sheep farmers in Western Australia who formed a large chunk of those out there today and who have seen their entire businesses and communities destroyed. The Labor Party needs to step up and do what the farmers have asked them to do and just listen.