Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

While the Greens appreciate the intent behind this motion, we cannot support it in its current form. Dairy farmers are being hit hard by this awful drought, but it's hard to see how a temporary levy would help. Immediate drought relief through government is critical, and it's clear that the government needs a comprehensive plan for how to support our farmers in the short term and help them to adapt to what will only become a more severe and drought-stricken Australia. Both the ACCC and the Senate economics committee inquiry found that only a mandatory code of conduct would resolve the rolling crisis for our dairy farmers, ending the power of the big processors and the predatory pricing regime that they operate under. I note the Greens' support for bringing in an effects test, as this mechanism would enable a decrease of the power that these big processors have over dairy farmers.