George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Abbott government's Sugar Marketing Code of Conduct Taskforce, which today has released its report and will be presenting that to agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce and the small business minister. The recommendation is that a mandatory code of conduct be adopted for the sugar industry, a code of conduct that will include a mechanism to distribute relevant interests in the quantities of sugar obtained from cane between growers and millers, a link between the price paid for cane and the selling price of sugar, the ability to choose marketing services, non-discriminatory provisions and a mechanism to resolve disputes. We wish to introduce this code of conduct to deal with an impasse in the sugar industry that has been brought about by foreign milling interests. Sadly, these companies have decided that they want to follow the Asian model where farmers are treated as medieval-type peasants who present to the landlord every year and get what they are given. That is not how we do agriculture in Australia. The mills really do need to come to the table and talk to growers and resolve this issue themselves. But, in the event that that does not occur, we have recommended to the government that they go forward and do this now. I seek leave to table a copy of the report promoting competition in the sugar market.

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