INDEPENDENT candidate for New England Tony Windsor has called on sitting member and Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce to support draft legislation that would break up the monopoly power of supermarket chains over milk prices.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Windsor has called for the “effects test” legislation, introduced by former MP for Lyne Rob Oakeshott to be supported and introduced in the next parliament.
“What dairy farmers need is to be able to have their products on the shelf without being undermined by cut price, anti-competitive big supermarket brands with which they can never compete with,” Mr. Windsor said.
Mr Windsor said the effects test legislation was introduced by Rob Oakeshott in the hung parliament as the “Competition and Consumer Amendment (Strengthening Rules About Misuse of Market Power)” and has since stalled in the legislative process.
The local candidate criticised the response by Mr Joyce and called on him to set out a clear legislative timetable for the effects test.
“Mr Joyce’s response is to kick the can down the road on this issue, promising only to have ‘strong conversations’ and to saddle dairy farmers with more debt. I am calling on Mr Joyce to take action and support draft legislation and a timetable for introduction,” Mr Windsor said.
The former MP has also written to National Farmers Federation president, Brent Finlay, with a copy of the legislation, asking for the industry to consider the legislation as an “exposure draft”.