I've talked to many farmers since the announcement of the federal senate inquiry that was kicked off by Senator Pauline Hanson last week.
Certainly, the idea of yet another inquiry has sparked a wide range of views from "another inquiry won't help" to, "now is our chance to get action from government".
Regardless of skepticism, the fact is we should be using any opportunity provided to us, to help get our messages out to the public and to the politicians that are elected to help our industry, even in some cases, from ourselves.
What was of particular interest were the questions Ms Hanson asked of Dairy Australia. Ms Hanson strongly focused her questioning around the operational logistics of Dairy Australia; such as CEO and board remuneration, and the extent to which the organisation focusses on inner-city politics versus grassroots farmer assistance.
Ms Hanson's questioning also focused on the lack of work done to get rid of $1/L milk over its nine-year lifespan. While Dairy Australia was quick to apportion responsibility for $1 milk onto ADF and other advocacy bodies it was clear Ms Hanson and all other politicians present at the inquiry saw it as a symbolic representation of the failure of all parties to take control of the value chain.
The fact an inquiry was necessary makes clear some points that we are critically aware of. These include:
- Grassroots farmers are sick of not being listened to by industry bodies that are unaccountable and have found a voice through Ms Hanson;
- Milk price is the absolute priority for farmers and should be the focus for all industry bodies;
- The blame game of "that's their job, not mine" needs to stop;
- If the industry cannot change through self-appointed review, then the government will be forced to act on concerns from grassroots farmers.
As we've said before, we are open to investigating every viable avenue to restore value to our industry.