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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-11-28 Daily Xml
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Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus

Ms PRATT (Frome) (15:22): Minister Scriven is scrambling. Just look at the mad panic in the last two days to cover her tracks. We have had rushed briefings, reluctant media and begrudgingly offering information months too late. Tomato growers, incensed by how they have been treated, made it clear they were coming to parliament today. If the minister would not come to them, then they would come to her.

That declaration of a rally on the steps of parliament put PIRSA into a frenzy. Last week, they cancelled an important briefing for growers it would seem just because they had no real answers. It was rescheduled for this afternoon but, in a curious twist, the meeting is now online only. No growers are allowed to attend in person, giving PIRSA the right to veto those questions and contributions with the power of a mute button. Growers are being treated like they have the virus themselves.

The rugose virus that was detected in August this year has caused less harm to human health than the Department of Primary Industries. This is not a natural disaster so much as a man-made one. It is not Mother Nature causing the damage but bureaucracy. For many months, it has been clear that something is missing and I think that that is common sense. How hard is it to just rock up and listen?

The introduction of the virus was not caused by the minister, so why is she so defensive? Why did she not just go out to meet with the growers and visit them? Why did she not sit in the public briefings with growers like the opposition did? Why was she not prepared to meet with them, hear their stories of hardship? Why has she failed to write back to growers who were begging for information? These are the simple things that establish the character of an elected official and she has been found wanting. The growers who have come to this chamber today—and I thank them for it—would much prefer to be picking. They have been crushed to a pulp by the uncertainty and devastation of PIRSA's management of this biosecurity issue and feel powerless as the government makes decisions about their livelihoods.

Today we witnessed a rally on the steps by Tony Sacca representing Da'Salvatore Farms; Andrew Braham; the Cafcakis family; the Kapiris family; Perfection Fresh, who remain in the chamber with me; and the Petsisos family from SA Tomato. I thank them sincerely for their determination to fight for better outcomes than they are getting now. Many are running mum-and-dad businesses and they cannot survive on an indefinite period of growing unviable plants.

We know an entire supply chain has been impacted: nurseries, couriers, pick-and-pack teams and packaging companies. As I mentioned earlier, representing SA Tomato, Oriana and Peter Petsios have been closed down for 103 days. They are the only nursery in SA that provides grafted tomato plants, which are essential in a commercial-growing environment. Last year they sold over two million plants and they were on track to sell over one million when they were shut down.

We need leadership to support a national agreement, first for the movement of fruit in the first instance and then the movement of plants. A few months ago the Premier promised to this house that he would call the CEO of Perfection Fresh, Mr Michael Simonetta. It took him a few more days but he did do it. When I asked Michael Simonetta when he had last heard from the Premier, Michael replied:

The day before Katy Perry. Had a great conversation. He asked me what he could do. I said I just want to be able to replant and get the protocol approved so we can get back to business. He said—

the Premier, quoting—

'That gives me something to work on.' Haven't heard from him since.

In his busy schedule of preparing for the AFL grand final, the Premier made one quick, brief phone call to our state's biggest tomato producer. One day before he waded through the crowd to find Katy Perry. I would ask the Premier now to reflect on that sparkling day—that one day in September, as the classic goes—listening to Katy Perry 'Roar' as he watched the stadium fill up ahead of the kick-off—that hallowed ground of the MCG. I ask the Premier now to imagine it filling up, seven times over, with the forced destruction of the ripe juicy tomatoes and strapping plants as Michael Simonetta described it for The Australian. Michael said:

We are currently in the process of pulling out and destroying seven MCGs' worth of perfectly good [tomatoes]…

These businesses have no cash flow, the banks are circling and the fruit is just rotting on the vine. Once they factor in freight costs, packaging and labour there is no margin left so they say what is the point in picking? This Labor government has failed our tomato growers. Shame.

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