Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This evening, I would like to respond to the comments made by Senator Williams last week in relation to myself and the Australian cane growing industry in Australia. Australia is the third largest producer of sugar in the world. Ninety-five per cent of Australian cane growers are located in Queensland because our climate is ideal for sugar cane growth. You would think, given the importance of the sugar industry to Australia and the fact that many of the cane growers are located in rural and regional areas of Queensland, that the government would do everything possible to support the industry and growers and show Queensland some love. But you would be wrong.

Sugar cane growers are facing the fight of their lives. International companies and overseas countries are buying up our farms and our mills. Australian sugar cane growers are now having to negotiate with foreign organisations to determine the supply and price of Australian sugar. In fact, in the near future, the marketing of Australian sugar may be taken over by foreign governments and international companies. To be clear: the coalition government is allowing the marketing and price setting of Australian sugar to be determined and managed by overseas countries and international companies—not our own country.

Australia's sugar industry needs help and Australian sugar cane growers need help as well. They have been begging the coalition for help for two years now, with little success. In fact, when cane growers call coalition MPS and senators, their phone calls are often not returned. The National Party, which traditionally has represented rural and regional Australia, has sold their sole to the Liberals in return for ministerial roles.

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Did you write this, mate?

Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did. The very politicians voted in to help rural and regional Australia, including sugar cane growers, have abandoned their voters. The Nationals have left rural and regional Australia to die.

Senator Williams talked about a Senate committee inquiry which was established to consider the issues facing the sugar industry. The inquiry, which was held last year and supposed to table a report to the Senate with its findings and recommendations in November 2014, finally tabled its report in June 2015—seven months later. The report, despite all the issues facing the sugar cane industry, included only one recommendation. The recommendation involved the development and implementation of a mandatory sugar industry code of conduct.

This idea was not the idea of the senate inquiry; it was the idea of sugar cane growers themselves. Sugar cane growers desperately need a code of conduct to protect themselves from the ruthless and predatory behaviour of international companies and foreign governments. They need the code of conduct because the coalition government is prepared to stand by and watch as our poor sugar cane farmers are bullied and mistreated by foreign interests. As the only independent senator for Queensland, I am not prepared to stand by and allow this to happen without a fight.

Senator Canavan interjecting—

Senator Scullion interjecting—

I would like to be a champion for our sugar cane growers, because they need our help—whether you believe that or not, gentlemen. Together, we all need to stand up for the interests of Australia's sugar industry and sugar cane growers. The Senate inquiry, which Senator Williams talked so much about, was a farce. All the inquiry could come up with was one recommendation and the government has yet to action it.

In fact, I heard the coalition held a round table recently to give sugar cane growers false hope that the government was interested in helping them. Sugar cane growers need more than a code of conduct; they also need commercial arbitration for contract negotiations to ensure there is fairness in the negotiation and sales process. They also need dispute resolution to ensure they are not hung out to dry during the negotiation process. They also want the marketing of Australian sugar to be managed by Australia, not foreign countries or international companies.

Sugar cane growers contacted me to reach out for help because they have tried to get help from the coalition without success or response. Sugar cane growers are decent, hardworking, wonderful Australians, who have worked their land and contributed to their industry and our economy for generations. These people need our help and they deserve our respect. If Senator Williams and his Nationals mates put as much energy into helping sugar cane growers as they did in attacking me and the sugar cane industry for speaking out about the lack of support the government is showing the sector, I probably would not need to be fighting for the future of Australia's sugar industry today. In summary, I will not be deterred in my quest to help people in need.