Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Williams for his question and commend him for the significant amount of work he has done on this issue. I am delighted to update the chamber on this very important issue. It has taken a coalition government to move to make changes to country-of-origin labelling. The Prime Minister announced on 26 February that the government will work to bring forward reforms to the country-of-origin labelling system that will be in the best interests of consumers. It was the Prime Minister who formed a working group of ministers to progress this issue. The working group includes the Minister for Industry and Science, the Minister for Agriculture, the Minister for Trade and Investment, the Minister for Small Business and me. It is this government that will ensure consumers have access to clear, consistent and easy-to-understand food labelling through changes that will allow for more informed choices.

This government has undertaken consultations across the country to hear input from industry, consumer groups, stakeholders and small to medium enterprises on what they believe the new graphic label and text should look like. The consultations were held in Darwin, Brisbane, Townsville, Launceston, Hobart, Melbourne, Albury, Armidale, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Mildura and Tweed Heads. We are working with industry groups to ensure the changes are practical, but the intention is to implement both a symbol and words that can be clearly read and understood. The symbol and words will identify two key things: firstly, that the product was made, grown or manufactured in Australia; and, secondly, what percentage—not specific percentages but increments—of the ingredients in a product was Australian grown. We are also looking to utilise electronic platforms to provide more comprehensive product information to consumers as only a limited amount of information can fit on food labels.

I can inform this chamber that progress continues to be made. The government has begun the consumer and market testing consultation phase, including a community survey, so that everyone can have their say on this important issue.