John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the highly effective Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator Ronaldson, representing the Minister for Industry and Science. Will the minister update the Senate on feedback received from the community survey and consumer testing to improve country-of-origin food labelling?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Williams most sincerely for the question and his interest in this area. Many consumers have expressed concerns about confusing labels and confusing phrases such as 'made in Australia.' They can appear on products even though the ingredients that make up that product are, indeed, imported.

In February this year the Prime Minister announced a ministerial working group chaired by the Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon. Ian Macfarlane, and included Ministers Joyce, Billson and Robb. My hardworking and effective parliamentary colleague Senator Nash also makes up this group. Our intention is to implement a graphic/symbol and words to describe both where the food is produced and the percentage of food that is Australian grown. This symbol and these words would identify whether a product was made, grown or manufactured in Australia, and the percentage of the ingredients in the food product that was Australian grown.

Coming back to the senator's question, both formal market research and a public survey are being conducted. They will collect consumer sentiment and ideas. Remarkably, as of 23 June, more than 10,000 surveys had been collected. This is a clear endorsement of the government's desire to enable Australian consumers to have their say. Consumers have made it very clear that they want access to clearer and more useful information about country of origin on food labels.

We are currently working closely with the food, retail and agricultural sectors to get the balance right and to maximise information for consumers while also considering costs to Australian industry and business. Australian produce and food is world-class. We are determined to introduce changes— (Time expired)

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister update the Senate on progress the government has made so far to improve country-of-origin food labelling?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, again, thank Senator Williams for his question. The ministerial working group is aiming to ensure that the changes to food labelling give consumers the information they need without imposing excessive cost on industry and are consistent with our trade obligations. We are actively engaging with business and industry groups around the country to ensure these objectives are met. The government have begun that consumer and market testing consultation, and everyone can have their say.

We have also started discussions with the state and territory governments, whose cooperation will be essential to implement a meaningful new labelling system. We are also looking to use electronic platforms to provide more comprehensive product information to consumers, as only a limited amount of information can fit on a label. It cannot be underestimated how important it is for people to be able to make informed choices about the food they buy at their local supermarket.

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister also outline to the Senate what steps the government is taking to ensure that food labels become clearer and more consistent for Australian consumers?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Williams, thank you. The government are working hard to ensure that consumers have access to clear, consistent and easy-to-understand food labelling that will allow them to make more informed choices. Stakeholders across all sectors have been supportive of our food-labelling changes, and are providing constructive feedback on the policy.

Following an extensive consultation phase, a final policy proposal will be considered later this year. Of course, there will be a reasonable phase-in period to give Australian producers time to adjust to new food-labelling requirements. Voluntary adoption of the new food labels will be encouraged ahead of the mandatory start date. We expect that consumers will see changes in their supermarkets sometime next year. People have been asking for simpler food labelling for a long time. This government is determined to deliver better country-of-origin food labelling in the most cost-effective way possible.