Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)   acknowledges that rural and regional Queensland is suffering from drought and ongoing job losses across many sectors, including the meat processing industry;

(b)   calls on the Government to take immediate action to prevent further job losses in the Queensland meat industry by:

(i)   establishing a dedicated working group comprised of Government, employers and employees, including representative groups/bodies to consult with employers, employees and unions in the meat processing industry to ascertain what level of support would be useful in protecting employment levels in the industry, and

(ii)   developing an industry accord in consultation with industry stakeholders, including those within the meat processing, live export and farming sectors, which delivers positive outcomes for all stakeholders and reduces job losses in the meat processing industry; and

(c)   further calls on the Government to investigate and report on the extent to which recently signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), such as the China Australia Free Trade Agreement, have altered demand and supply patterns in the local meat industry and, if FTAs have contributed to local jobs being lost, how such agreements can be strengthened to prevent this from happening in the future.