Newsroom

January 21, 2022

Katter’s Australian Party is this year looking forward to strong support from the Palaszczuk Labor Government towards its pro-Australian seafood labelling bill, which is designed to increase consumer awareness, support Australian industries and create more local jobs.

KAP Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter’s Food (Labelling of Seafood) Amendment Bill 2021, which is currently open for community consultation, would introduce mandatory country of origin labelling (CoOL) for all seafood sold in the hospitality sector.

This would bring hospitality in line with retail, which is already required by Federal law to label seafood products with their origins at the point-of-purchase.

Mr Katter said fresh and delicious local seafood had been at the top of most Queenslanders wish list during the recent festive season, and he urged people to put in writing their love of Aussie produce by making a submission in support of his bill by February 9th.

He said he was expecting strong support for his legislation when it is debated from the Premier, and Minister for Fisheries Mark Furner, who recently threw their weight behind the local seafood industry.[1]

In a media release last month, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk urged Queenslanders “to put plenty of local seafood on the menu” during the festive period while Minister Furner said it was important to buy Queensland caught and farmed seafood.

“You’ll be enjoying world-class produce, local businesses will profit, and our hard-working professional fishers can continue to support their families,” Mr Furner said in the Government’s statement.

“Let’s put our commercial fishers and aquaculture farmers at the very top of our Christmas ‘nice list’ and stock up on the very best.

“At your local fish supplier make sure you ask for Queensland seafood.”

Mr Katter said while the platitudes were nice, the local seafood sector needed more than a media release.

He said Australia was a net importer of seafood, with up to 60 per cent of what’s consumed annually being caught or farmed overseas where quality, environmental and sustainability standards often different greatly from Australia’s ‘gold standard’.

“People can’t make a conscious choice to buy Australian, or Queensland, seafood if they are not easily able to find out the origins of what’s on a menu,” he said.

“While the retail sector, like supermarkets and seafood stores, are already required to label their produce with its origins, the law is silent when it comes to fish and chip shops, cafes, restaurants and take-away outlets.

“This doesn’t make sense, and we want to see this gaping hole in the industry closed – it will cost the State, hospitality businesses and consumers next-to-nothing but will certainly have positive flow-on effects that will be felt for years to come.”

Submissions to the KAP’s seafood labelling bill can be sent to the State Development Regional Industries Committee by emailing sdric@parliament.qld.gov.au – submissions close at 5pm, February 9th, 2022.

The Explanatory Notes for the bill can be found at: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/tabledpapers/2021/5721T1817.pdf

[1] https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/93989