Sustainable Queensland Dairy Production (Fair Milk Price Logos) Bill 2016

Overview

This bill proposed a voluntary 'fair milk price logo' for fresh milk sold in Queensland, showing consumers that the farmer who produced the milk had been paid a fair price set by the government for their region. It was introduced by Katter's Australian Party MP Shane Knuth in response to the decline of Queensland dairy farming following supermarket $1-a-litre milk pricing. The bill failed at second reading and did not become law.

Who it affects

It would have mainly affected Queensland dairy farmers (who would gain a benchmark fair price), milk processors (who could choose to use the logo), and consumers who want to support local dairy farmers at the checkout.

Key changes

• Create a separate voluntary fair milk price logo for each of three Queensland dairy regions (Central, North and South East Queensland)
• Require the Minister to set and publish a fair milk price per litre for each region at least twice a year, based on production costs plus a sustainable gross margin
• Use Queensland Dairy Accounting Scheme data to calculate production costs, with consultation of dairy farmers in each region
• Make it an offence (up to 75 penalty units) to sell milk bearing the logo when the farmer was not paid the fair price, or to use a deceptively similar logo
• Require the Minister to consult interstate and Commonwealth counterparts about matching logos and report to Parliament twice a year
• Bill defeated at second reading - the logo scheme was never implemented