Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

truth in labelling—that on the back of the Chiko Roll it says, 'Born in Bendigo'. Bendigo is the home of the Chiko Roll. We have a bit of a laugh about it, but it is actually a very serious issue. It is the serious issue we are talking about here today, which is country-of-origin and region-of-origin labelling. We will leave the debate about the origins of the Chiko Roll to one side. It is not the only food that is produced in our region.

This issue about food labelling does come up a lot. A lot of people have laughed for a long time about the label 'Made from local and imported products'. What does that label tell us? What is the point of putting 'Made from local and imported products' on the label of the produce that people consume? The extensive research that was done in the field to find out what would be best has produced a new set of labelling. The new labelling, whilst it will inform consumers more about the amount of 'made in Australia' or local product and content in what they are buying, raises a number of other questions. This is the area where I believe that the government has a bit of work to do in enforcing truth in food labelling. I know that the back of the Chiko Roll is true, that the Chiko Roll was born in Bendigo. It is not just folklore. And I know that the member for Riverina, who covers Wagga Wagga, cannot produce his own Chiko Roll labelling and say that the Chiko Roll is from Wagga Wagga, because it is just not true. How do we enforce that, though? That is where we come back to making sure that, for any labelling of food, we have the necessary resources and requirements to ensure that what is on the label is what people are getting.

I can understand why people in our community might be a bit sceptical when it comes to the government's track record, because it was on this government's watch that we had berries enter this country that had not been tested properly, and a number of people became quite ill. A number of people contracted hepatitis. The country of origin was not clearly listed on some of the products as China. The berries were contaminated, and a number of people became quite ill. Why this is relevant to this debate is that it speaks to this government's capacity to enforce its current regulations around food and the importation of food.

If these labels are to mean anything, I want to see the resources invested to make sure that the products that people are buying are in fact 100 per cent or 75 per cent or 50 per cent Australian made. I think about product that is produced in Victoria where this labelling will help, and I think of canned tomatoes. Whilst there are not a lot of tomatoes grown in my part of the world, just to the north of the Bendigo electorate there are. When you meet with Kagome—who not only manufacture tomato products; they also grow tomatoes—they talk about how MasterFoods, who are just next door, will quite often have some of their own crushed tomatoes in their MasterFoods food products but the bulk of the product comes from overseas. Therefore Kagome and the other growers in that part of the world feel a little bit like they have been cheated, in that, just by having a small amount of local Australian-produced tomatoes, MasterFoods are able to claim the catch-all title, 'Made from local and imported goods'. The labelling that has been put forward will help us to understand that.

Australians are entitled to know exactly where their food comes from. Australian law requiring all imported and domestic products to be labelled with the country of origin is important to ensure that people know what they are eating. We know, through consumer surveys, that, when people are in the deli and they see fish which is imported and the country of origin is on the label, they are less likely to buy it, because people know the clean, green image of Tasmanian salmon versus fish that might be from Thailand or Vietnam. People want to make an informed choice. Whilst people know that the price may be a little bit more expensive, Australians, like the rest of the world, are willing to pay for the quality and the peace of mind that they are eating food which is healthy and is meeting Australian standards.

It is critical that consumers are protected, without putting undue burden on the food processors. This is another important point. Today I met with Australian Pork. Pork is an industry that we have in the Bendigo region. On this issue, they said that they are waiting to see what happens. They have invested a lot in their Australian Pork logo, which is easily identified in our supermarkets—not just on our basketball teams. Australian Pork sponsored the Bendigo Spirit for a while, and you could not miss them with their bright pink square logo that they have developed. You cannot miss that logo when you are in the shopping centre. Australian Pork themselves invested in their own branding.

Pork is one of those industries which has, in the past, struggled with this issue of Australian made and local food and ensuring that we have the labelling right. There have been breaches in the past that have been followed up. The kind of pork product you buy can dictate whether or not it is Australian pork. In the Bendigo electorate, we have one of the biggest producers of bacon, at Don KR, and we are also one of the biggest producers of ham on the bone. It is coming up to Christmas, and I know that lots of people will be standing in the deli and making a choice. What most Australians do not realise is that, unless they read the label closely, the bacon product that they buy could actually be Canadian pork or pork from Europe. But the ham on the bone that they buy and bake themselves is actually Australian pork.

Truth in food labelling will also allow us to start educating consumers and encouraging consumers to buy Australian made and Australian grown. With that growth, we can hope to see more investment in these industries to help them expand. If we know that people are willing to pay for more when it comes to Australian made, those brands as well as those products have a good future. We can help to educate consumers about why buying Australian made is not only good for the grower but also good for local jobs. Food labelling is one area where we talk about 'Ag is the new black' and 'Ag is where the future jobs will come from,' but what is critical within that is making sure that everything that underpins it is focused on that 'Made in Australia' logo.

I recently met with the VFF Chicken Meat Group. They are concerned about some rumours that were flying around about looking at chicken coming into our country. Whilst fresh meat must be Australian chicken, because of our strict rules, they are concerned about products that might contain chicken that are processed overseas coming into our country and the impact that that might have on their market. They support these regulations because, whether it is chicken that you crumb yourself or chicken that is crumbed overseas, people want to know that what they are eating is Australian made and Australian grown.

Whilst Labor support these amendments because they provide certainty for business, particularly Australian food manufacturers, it is important to note that the government needs to do more to ensure that there is proper education around food labelling in our community and that there is also proper compliance to make sure that product coming in and product on our shelves has truth in labelling. We need to make sure that the product that consumers are eating and consuming does in fact live up to the label. I also hope that the 25 to 50 and 55 to 75 and then 100 per cent will encourage our food manufacturers to use more Australian grown, locally produced produce in their products. We know that Australians, if educated and engaged, will choose Australian over alternate brands.

This has been a long time coming. It is something that the community has talked about for a long time. It is something that Australians expect their government to keep an eye on. Australians want to know that the produce that they are buying in the shopping centres or at their local markets are safe. They want to know that it is what is on the label.

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