Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is as a result not of your government's policy agenda but rather of private industry taking leadership, and that is what it should be about, Senator Marshall. I should not be surprised, Senator Marshall, that you are here. It is all about political game-playing for the Labor Party—using workers, not supporting them.

There was no greater case for us down south in Victoria, when the state leader of the Labor Party, Daniel Andrews—I notice you chuckling over there, Senator Marshall—came out in support of the workers, promising $25 million. He quickly did his figures and jumped it up a little more. That, folks, is not going to assist Coca-Cola Amatil in reaching their decision on 18 February because that money will not be arriving until the state election campaign come November 2014. Too little, too late by Daniel Andrews. The people of Murray clearly voted in September on what they wanted, and it was not more of the same. Yet here we are in February 2014 still debating whether the people of Murray meant what they said at the ballot box. Using workers for your state election campaign in November 2014 is beyond the pale.

The decision by Coca-Cola Amatil, a private company, on 18 February will determine whether SPC Ardmona in its current form continues in the Goulburn Valley. This is the company that has backed our region, that has backed our growers. It has invested in R&D and it has taken steps to address workplace relations practices. The management has changed and is going forward, and I hope the company does support them. But our job is to govern, to reduce the regulation—environmental regulation—right throughout our supply chain. (Time expired)