Page 4108 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 16 Sept 2009
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Yes, there are differences in wording between what the Greens were proposing and what the government is proposing. But I do not think these differences are so great that a supermarket would have any real difficulty in conforming with them. They will have to put three small labels up. The number of labels in supermarkets is such that I cannot believe it is beyond us, that supermarkets cannot quite easily do this, and I think that there is really no need to have an inquiry into this.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (5.40): The government understand the arguments that Mrs Dunne makes but we do not accept that there has not been a significant opportunity for people involved in the retail sale of eggs to be involved and informed in relation to proposals that the Greens have produced and to seek to understand the position of the government and the opposition in relation to the issue.
In an early conversation that I had with Ms Le Couteur in relation to this issue, I took some comfort from advice that Ms Le Couteur gave me that the Greens had conversations and had consulted with retailers, most particularly supermarkets within the ACT. The government did not consult directly with retailers, basically the supermarkets within the ACT, but Ms Le Couteur did inform me at a reasonably early stage that the Greens had done that.
In addition, the government did write to both the Australian Retailers Association and the National Association of Retail Grocers, I think somewhere in the order of three months ago, in relation to their views. They are the national peak organisations that represent all retailers, all traders and all grocers in Australia. Regrettably, despite a letter from the ACT government informing them of the proposals for egg labelling at the point of sale in the ACT, neither the Australian Retailers Association nor the National Association of Retail Grocers deigned to respond to the government’s request for their views on the issue of labelling at the point of sale for eggs.
I cannot now say, “We need to go out.” The government sought to consult the peak bodies in relation to this issue specifically, and neither of those organisations felt inclined to even respond, which the government has interpreted as suggesting a lack of concern by the organisations representing supermarkets, retailers and grocers in Australia, let alone the ACT, in relation to this particular issue.
I think it has to be acknowledged that Ms Le Couteur is right. Ms Le Couteur tabled this as an exposure draft months ago. We have all known that it is coming; we have all known this day was about to arrive; we have known for some time it was going to arrive in September.
The government have given deep consideration to all of the issues, including the labelling issues. We have all had an opportunity, including the Liberal Party, to put our position in relation to this issue, to engage with the community. We have had six months in which to do that. And we sought, we consulted, we took comfort from the consultation which the Greens had undertaken—and it is a Greens’ bill—so I think it is reasonable for us to do that.
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