Queensland Food Farmers’ Commissioner Bill 2024
Bill Story
The journey of this bill through Parliament, including debate and recorded votes.
Strongly supported the bill as delivering on the Premier's vision to hold large retailers accountable and give farmers a voice, praising local farmers who contributed to the inquiry.
“Our farmers in this state have been silenced by those big retailers, but now they have a voice and they have a voice in this parliament through the Queensland Food Farmers' Commissioner because of the vision of the Premier of this state.”— 2024-08-21View Hansard
Acknowledged that supermarkets must be held accountable but criticised the bill as political cynicism rushed before an election, arguing the government has ignored farmers' struggles for a decade and contributed to rising costs through its own policies.
“In an act of political cynicism, this is only urgent legislation because there is an election in 66 days. After a decade of being in power, the government has suddenly discovered that farmers are doing it tough.”— 2024-08-21View Hansard
Supported the bill as a member of the Supermarket Pricing Select Committee, highlighting growers' fear of retribution from major supermarkets and the power imbalance that the commissioner will help address.
“Through the creation of a farmers' commissioner we could assist them to overcome such fears because that will assist our farmers to be willing to invest in and grow fresh produce.”— 2024-08-21View Hansard
Strongly supported the bill as a member of the supermarket inquiry, criticising major supermarkets for making farmers wait up to 180 days for payment and for their market dominance.
“The frightening thing is that the people who grow our food, take care of us and deliver the wonderful food that we eat sometimes have to wait 180 days to be paid. That is absolutely disgraceful.”— 2024-08-21View Hansard
Plain English Summary
Overview
This bill establishes the Queensland Food Farmers' Commissioner, an independent statutory office to support farmers in their dealings with major supermarkets. The Commissioner will help improve price transparency, address power imbalances between supermarkets and their suppliers, and provide farmers with a safe avenue to raise concerns about unfair treatment.
Who it affects
Queensland farmers gain an independent advocate to help with supermarket disputes. Consumers may benefit from improved transparency in food pricing and supply chains. Supermarkets face increased scrutiny of their supplier practices.
Key changes
- Creates the Queensland Food Farmers' Commissioner as an independent statutory office, appointed for up to 3 years
- Commissioner serves as primary contact point for farmers and helps them navigate supermarket supplier arrangements
- Commissioner can report to the Minister and publish reports on issues affecting farmers and consumers, including improper business practices
- Commissioner works with the ACCC, Commissioner for Fair Trading, and Food Standards Australia New Zealand on farmer-related matters
- Act must be reviewed after 4 years to assess effectiveness