IMPORTED FRUIT JUICE

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:49): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries a question about imported juices.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Apple and citrus growers are forming a strategic plan to submit to government highlighting the financial impact that cheap concentrated fruit juice from China and South America has on the industry. Australian growers are feeling frustrated as imported fruit is squeezing them out of the market. As reported in The Advertiser on 25 October, the growers 'aim to prove that imported concentrate being "dumped" in Australia at below the cost of production is undercutting their livelihoods'. Riverland citrus grower Ron Gray said:

Riverland growers were being paid only $110 a tonne for Valencia oranges this year. Imported juice is costing processors $350 a tonne when you include the handling, shipping, reconstitution and addition of colour.

Mr Gray continues to say:

More than 650,000 tonnes of juice equivalent is coming into Australia each year, mainly from Brazil. We are now down to less than 35,000 tonnes of Valencias grown in the Riverland for juice each year.

My questions to the minister are:

1. What consultation has the minister had with Riverland apple and citrus growers about the importation of concentrated fruit juice?

2. What actions will the minister take in conjunction with industry and relevant authorities to address the Riverland's concerns about the high level of imported juices?

3. What measures will the minister introduce to protect the livelihoods of local growers?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions. The policy to do with imports and the dumping of products on the Australian marketplace is of course a federal government issue. It is not actually a state government responsibility, so I would urge the honourable member to take these matters up with her federal colleagues.

Given that South Australia's opposition is simply an apologist for the shortcomings of the Abbott government, I cannot imagine that we will get a lot of joy on that front either. Anyway, I look forward to seeing the opposition champion South Australians with their mates in the federal government. I look forward to seeing any evidence of that.

The issue of dumping cheap imported products on the Australian market is not a new thing and it is certainly not new for South Australia. It has potentially serious implications for our markets. There are antidumping legislation provisions in place and there has been a significant push to tighten up those provisions given the view that they do not go as far as they could or should.

I was asked what dialogue had taken place with the industry. Over the years I have met with a number of peak primary industry organisations, their advocacy groups. I visit the Riverland regularly (I was there again just the other week) and am in constant discussion and dialogue with the industry. The industry understands that these are federal issues. These matters are very rarely raised directly with me because the industry understands that they are federal issues and they pursue them with their federal members.

I am always interested to hear not just from the citrus industry affected by this but particularly from our seafood and prawn industries, which are often affected by very cheap imports from overseas countries. As I said, it impacts on a wide range of products. So this is much bigger than just citrus, although I do understand that there have recently been issues to do with juice being dumped on our markets. These are matters that I look forward to pursuing through the equivalent of our federal ministerial councils as the new federal government rolls out its dates and times for those new forums.