11/11/2020
MEDIA RELEASE
Big Union backs Dairy Royal Commission push!!!
The United Workers Union has thrown its industrial weight behind on-going calls for a Federal Royal Commission into the Australian dairy industry.
These calls have come from advocacy groups Dairy Connect and Victoria's Farmer Power.
The United Workers Union says it represents more than 4000 dairy workers along with a swath of worker occupations including food and beverage, logistics and supermarket supply chain and hotels, clubs, and hospitality workers.
Farmer Power CEO Garry Kerr welcomed the support of the United Workers Union in the call by Farmer Power and Dairy Connect for a Federal Dairy Royal Commission.
“We call on the Federal Government to ask the Governor-General to instigate a Royal Commission into the Australian dairy industry so as to resolve the issues faced by our dairy farmers," Garry said.
Dairy Connect CEO Shaughn Morgan indicated that while the industry had been regularly inspected and analysed, with countless reports and recommendations, there had never been a broad-ranging inquiry with ’judicial powers’ appropriate to a critical analysis of the entire supply chain, from dairy farmers to supermarkets.
"There have been a number of stakeholder and parliamentary committees looking into the Australian dairy industry over many years with many of their reports now gathering dust on the shelves of Parliamentary libraries and MPs' offices," he said.
“A royal commission, which enquires into issues of public importance, would overcome the intransigence of government in implementing appropriate reform in an industry where market failure has been occurring since dairy deregulation 20 years ago.
The President of the Farmers Group of Dairy Connect, Graham Forbes said that “Dairy Connect continues its call for a Federal Royal Commission where the terms of reference specifically looked at ways to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of the Aussie dairy industry and thus keep future generations of dairy farmers on the land.”
A Royal Commission would also be well placed to address the systematic problems within the dairy industry as well as any perceived conflicts of interest.
“We know that action needs to be taken now in order to secure the dairy industry for generations to come and that a Royal Commission is an effective platform to allow that action to come to light,” Graham said.
Farmer Power's Garry Kerr said that the Australian dairy industry was currently in crisis at a representative level and is now at a true turning point.
“The dairy industry in regional areas is the lifeblood of the towns and communities in which our farmers and United Workers Union members work and live.
”In order to ensure that workers, farmers, and communities are included in the future for the dairy industry, a Dairy Royal Commission is needed now,” Garry concluded.
In support of the call for a Dairy Royal Commission, the Director of Food and Beverages at the United Workers Union, Susie Allison said ’be know that action needs to be taken now in order to secure the dairy industry for generations to come and that a Royal Commission is an effective platform to allow that action to come to light.
With farmers being an integral part of the dairy industry, the United Workers Union supports the calls from Farmer Power and Dairy Connect for there to be a Royal Commission into the dairy industry," Susie said.
