Newsroom

January 19, 2022

THE MAJOR party’s obsession with free markets and free trade continues to break the backs of Australian farmers, with reports surfacing that Australian avocado farmers are ploughing their crops into the ground[1] whilst the big supermarkets import 30 percent of the avocadoes sold in Australia from overseas.[2]

Kennedy MP, Bob Katter, said thanks to the free market policies of the major parties Australia is the begging bowl of Asia not the food bowl of Asia.

“We are a net importer of fruit and vegetables in this country,” he said.

“This is a national shame and should be on the conscience of every patriotic Australian when they walk into the ballot box at this year’s federal election.”

Mr Katter said conditions for farmers had declined dramatically since the deregulation agenda of the major political parties was enacted in the late 90s and early 2000s.

“In my history book on Australia, An Incredible Race of People, I delineate what took place in the sugar, egg and milk industries when they were deregulated,” he said.

“When they were deregulated, the farmer had his income reduced from between 10 to 40 percent. His income went down and the price to the consumer went up. Johnny in the Middle (the big supermarkets) got $1.6b of extra income at the expense of the poor farmer.

“The then leader of the national party said, ‘we have 270,000 farmers in Australia, all we really need is 160,000 farmers to do their job.’

“He was right because now we only have 90,000 farmers. This process has taken place quite literally over the dead bodies of farmers.

“Free market ideology from the major parties hasn’t resulted in competition, it has resulted in a brutal regime of destruction. The money goes to the big sharks, the supermarket chains, whilst the farmers walk off the land.”