One week after Australia’s dairy industry received its biggest slap in the face since deregulation, the federal minister charged with overseeing the sector, Barnaby Joyce, said he’d have a “yarn” with the company leading the downfall.
One week later.
Surely the time for “yarning” is over.
Murray Goulburn receives 40 per cent of the milk produced in Australia.
It’s the country’s largest dairy company exporting 324,000 tonnes of dairy product to 31 countries.
Most of these farmers are already in debt, many struggling to cope with drought.
Through no fault of their own, they now owe hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Some will leave the industry.
Remarks by Mr Joyce, the Nationals leader, this week would suggest he does not understand the severity of the situation.
Before Fonterra announced it too would cut the milk price, Mr Joyce was asked if he had spoken to Murray Goulburn or considered offering Government assistance.
Here’s what he said:
“I know there are some management transitions down there. I think I’ll just let Murray Goulburn get their own feet under the table before we have a yarn to them.
“We’re talking to people in the dairy industry all the time … where one is maybe struggling a bit, we’ve got other areas such as Norco which are offering record prices.”
Norco, you could be forgiven for not knowing, is a co-operative with about 200 suppliers, who supply milk that goes in milk cartons. Not into products such as cheese and powder that go on to the big, world market that has ultimately caused this disaster.
Norco is also located in Northern NSW, like Mr Joyce’s electorate.
Here is the deputy prime minister with a budget to sell, on the cusp of an election, with comments completely insensitive to Murray Goulburn, and now Fonterra suppliers.
There’s no doubt the role of governments at a time like this is difficult.
You can argue black and blue about the role of politicians and taxpayer dollars when private companies and global markets go out the back door.
No one expects Mr Joyce to have all the answers.
But it would be nice if the agriculture minister could at least acknowledge the dairy industry is in for a rough ride.
• Kath Sullivan is a political reporter at The Weekly Times
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