Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

No—she is! I love my mother-in-law. She is—she is so right. She always talks about 'Mr and Mrs Average'. When it all boils down—and we can talk about all of the important things in this House—it does boil down to what the average man and woman, the average family, the average boy or girl need, want and expect from government. This is something which is so critical. For the mums and dads who are going shopping, and for the single people who are going shopping, they need to be able to go into those wonderful IGA supermarkets—I will give them a plug—and look at the labels on the shelves and know that what they are getting inside that can or bottle is in fact what they are paying for. This legislation is just another example of how the government is delivering on its promise to put small business at the forefront of decision-making and listening to consumers and producer demands—listening to what, as my mother-in-law says, 'Mr and Mrs Average' would want.

I just want to talk quickly about some of the aspects of this bill. These reforms give Australian consumers, as I have said before, clear and more meaningful information about the food they buy. It does not impose excessive burden on business. That is so important. I have heard you, Mr Deputy Speaker Kelly, a number of times in this House—almost on a daily basis—talk about lifting the load from business, particularly small business. You understand, we on this side of the House understand, that it is important to not overload small businesses, in particular, with burdensome regulation. Cutting through the red tape! We just heard an earlier speaker—the member for Page—talk about ensuring that we did not overload small business with more regulatory burden. This is the most significant change in this contentious area—and it has been a very controversial area for decades.

Many foods found on Australian retail shelves will be required to include a kangaroo in a triangle logo if they have been made, produced or grown in Australia, and a bar chart to indicate the percentage of Australian ingredients in the food. This reform will also make it clearer that 'made in' means more than just packaging or performing minor processes on imported food. That is so important.

I know a farmer at Rankins Springs, Ian Munro—better known as 'Jock'—who is often texting me very early in the morning—

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