PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS – FOOD LABELLING
October 18, 2010
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston) (11.14 am) — I move:
That this House:
(1) notes significant community concern regarding the clarity, simplicity and accuracy of food labelling, including labelling identifying the:
(a) origin of the food;
(b) nutritional value of the food; and
(c) food production methods used, including the use of food technologies;
(2) recognises that:
(a) adequate food labelling laws should aim foremost to protect the health and safety of consumers and eliminate deceitful or misleading labelling information;
(b) having clear, simple and accurate labelling on food empowers consumers and enables them to make informed food choices; and
(c) for food labelling laws to be effective, they need to be rigorously and consistently enforced;
(3) supports the Australian and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council’s establishment of an independent review into food labelling; and
(4) encourages the Government and State and Territory governments to examine the results of this review, and work together to ensure that our food labelling laws deliver the outcomes our community desires.
Mr CHESTER (Gippsland) (11.51 am) — I join with the House in commending the member for Kingston for raising this issue, which is of significant concern not only to consumers but to industry groups and, of course, governments. The concern is widespread and I freely acknowledge that there are no easy solutions to the problem of food labelling. I think the labels themselves are confusing at best and deceptive at worst. As the member for Kingston rightly pointed out in her presentation, there is strong emotional support within our community for a ‘buy Australian’ promotion. Consumers are keen to support Australian made products and Australian grown products, but it is difficult to do that under the current food labelling arrangements. Even with the best will in the world it is almost impossible to track down with great confidence the country of origin of many of our food products.
What our constituents are looking for is a simple, accurate and clear labelling system. When you go to the supermarket on a daily basis you are looking for clear labelling to provide you with confidence in the products you are purchasing. I think today’s debate is something that most Australians can relate to. Unlike some of the debates we have in this chamber, this is certainly not an abstract debate; this is something that affects people on a day-to-day basis. I commend the member for Kingston on that. As I think both sides of the House have acknowledged in today’s debate, the current system is broken and we simply need to do better. The Australian public are expecting us to do better in the future. It is in the interests of consumers and it is also in the interests of our local agricultural industry.
In my seat of Gippsland, where we have a strong reputation for clean and green food products, there is a great deal of angst among the farming sector. They are frustrated by the current labelling laws. They believe that if Australian consumers knew more about where their food was being produced they would be more likely to support Australian farmers and the farmers would be more likely to be able to command a premium price for their goods in the future. People want to buy Australian products and support our farmers because they quite rightly believe that they can be more confident about the quality of the product, the production techniques and how the product is being brought to the marketplace. So I believe it is very important from that particular perspective.
I want to touch on the comments made by the member for Pearce in relation to truth in labelling. The motion refers to having clear labelling to protect the health and safety of consumers and eliminate deceitful or misleading labelling information. I want to briefly broaden the debate to cover the seafood industry in Lakes Entrance. I have received correspondence from the Lakes Entrance Fishermen’s Cooperative in relation to the food labelling and country of origin laws as they relate to cooked seafood. This is a major concern for the fishing industry. I want to quote from a letter from the general manager of the cooperative, Mr Dale Sumner. He said:
Of continued major concern to our members is that of cheap imported seafood, as a net importer of seafood the concern is not about the imports themselves but how they have an unfair advantage on the market as a result of the Country of Origin labeling laws failing to inform the Australian consumer on all occasions.
The major failure of the laws is in regard to cooked seafood, the Australian consumer is being mislead on an increasing basis, even in a town like Lakes Entrance which is built on and depends upon a thriving fishing industry we find many of the Restaurants, Clubs, Pubs & Fish & Chip shops using cheap imports and selling them to the consumer under local names.
This practice must be stopped, If a venue which is to use imported product good luck to them but the consumer purchasing it should not be mislead and tricked into thinking its local or Australian, the consumer must be informed and be given the choice which is the case in a fresh Seafood shop, Country of Origin Labeling Laws must be extended to include cooked seafood.
I mention this because I believe consumers in Australia are being ripped off when they go to a restaurant, a club or a fish and chip shop which does not declare country of origin. I think it is only fair to Australian consumers that, if they purchase a product they believe to have been harvested from Australian waters, the product has been harvested from Australian waters in the sustainable way in which Australian fisheries are managed. I share the fear of the Lakes Entrance fishing industry that Australian consumers are being deliberately misled by the many operators who do not declare where the product has come from.
I encourage the new minister to take a closer look at this issue as part of the broader review which is underway in relation to food labelling laws. I have written to the minister and also to the state minister in Victoria on this issue. I have made representations on behalf of the fishing sector and the broader community asking them provide greater clarity for the Australian public when it comes to food labelling.
(Time expired)