House debates

Tuesday, 12 September 2006

Fruit and Vegetable Growers

4:12 pm

Photo of Gavan O'ConnorGavan O'Connor (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Deputy Prime Minister from coming into this place and providing a full and proper explanation as to why the Nationals:

(1)
deceived Australian fruit and vegetable growers in the lead up to the last federal election by promising them a re-elected Coalition Government would introduce a mandatory code of conduct for the horticulture industry;
(2)
falsely promised the horticulture industry that such a code would give producers a fair deal on their terms of trade and on resolving disputes with produce buyers;
(3)
falsely promised that the mandatory code would apply to large supermarket chains;
(4)
falsely promised that a mandatory code would be introduced within 100 days of the 2004 election;
(5)
falsely promised that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would be given the power to enforce the mandatory code;
(6)
allowed the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to mislead this place on 10 November 2005 by stating that the Government would honour its election commitment to introduce a mandatory code for the horticulture industry;
(7)
wasted taxpayers’ money by engaging consultants to develop the framework for a mandatory code it had no intention of implementing; and
(8)
has completely abandoned fruit and vegetable growers by allowing the Prime Minister to transfer responsibility for addressing the needs of these hard working Australians from the Nationals to a Liberal Minister.

The minister must come into this House and explain why they have broken this promise—

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