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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-22 Daily Xml
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CITRUS INDUSTRY

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:30): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister for primary industries a question about the citrus industry.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: Quite a long time ago the former minister initiated what was known as a review of the South Australian citrus industry structure. The intent of this followed on from lobbying by some citrus growers and members of the citrus industry generally. I have had discussions with both the Citrus Growers of South Australia and the South Australian Citrus Industry Development Board, and I understand that Mr Alan Moss was engaged to come up with a report recommending a way forward for an improvement in South Australian citrus industry matters.

This report was with the previous minister for several months. No reflection on this minister as the new minister, because she has a lot to get her head around, however, it is of concern to the industry that there seems to be some stalling. I contacted the former minister's adviser on agriculture, and he advised me that that report had been with the minister back in September, I think. My questions are:

1. Can the minister advise the council on where her deliberations are with respect to this report?

2. When will the minister make a decision regarding the recommendations of the report?

3. Will the minister table the report in the council so that members have an opportunity to see the full detail of it?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (15:32): The citrus industry is a very important industry here in South Australia, and we know that it has been hit very harshly by drought conditions, floods, storms, and I think even the locusts had a go. It is one of those sectors that has been hit very hard and it has been really struggling in parts, but it is a very important part of our primary industries. We know that there is a need for a strong united organisation to lead South Australia's citrus industry into the future. It is critical that we have that sort of structure in place to provide leadership.

South Australia's citrus industry is currently represented by two organisations: Citrus Growers SA and also the South Australian Citrus Industry Development Board. The duplication of these structures and functions is believed to reduce the effectiveness of the industry to have a common approach to developing their industry, and, as such, the former minister commissioned a review to advise and recommend on the preferred citrus industry structure and also the funding arrangements. The review was conducted by Mr Alan Moss, retired judge, ex-deputy crown solicitor and Presiding Member of the South Australian Independent Gambling Authority, so a fairly well-credentialled chap.

The review commenced in early 2011, and I am advised that a number of written submissions were received and well over 50 stakeholders were consulted during the process. The final report was submitted to the former minister and I am now considering the recommendations of that review. Being the new minister for PIRSA, I take these responsibilities very seriously and want to look very carefully at this issue and consider all the facts and figures for myself, not just papers that have been handed down to me. I am very keen to look at that in a very thorough way and to think about that carefully.

As the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, I am the administrator for both the Citrus Industry Act 2005 and also the Primary Industry Funding Scheme 1998 and associated regulations. The South Australian Citrus Industry Development Board is, obviously, a government-appointed board, funded by payments it receives, and the citrus growers are elected by the citrus growers and funded by payments received from that fund.

I acknowledge that this is quite a contentious issue. It has caused some very strong feelings from supporters of both the different camps, shall we say, and I think it is really important that I take time to sit down and look very carefully at it and consider the facts and the figures, and have time to deliberate and put what I think is the best way to move forward; and I am in the throes of doing that.

To give an example of the sort of commitment that this government has for the citrus industry, yesterday I announced a $2.6 million grant from the Riverland Sustainable Futures Fund to Nippy's to increase their packing facilities at Waikerie and also some other milk packaging facilities. This is a fabulous project. The total project is worth just under $10 million, so Nippy's are really investing in enhancing their production. They see this as a small window of opportunity to enhance production and move into the marketplace where some of the other players have recently fallen away. They are really stepping up to the plate and I congratulate them for doing that.

Not only will this project create new jobs (somewhere between 25 and 30 new jobs in the Riverland area, Nippy's has indicated), but it will also increase reliance on locally grown citrus fruit and, of course, open up markets—not just domestic but interstate markets and, I understand, export markets as well. It is a great project and does indeed reflect this government's commitment to the citrus industry.

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