Labor MP slams Premier

By Tania Martin
GEMBROOK MP Tammy Lobato has accused Premier John Brumby of putting the interests of multinational companies ahead of Victorians.
Ms Lobato said the decision to lift the ban on growing genetically modified (GM) canola reflected her own Government’s inability and unwillingness to listen to consumers, farmers, food producers and manufactures.
“The question has to be asked that when there is such tremendous opposition across the community to this decision, who are the beneficiaries,” Ms Lobato said.
“As far as I can tell, it’s the biotechnology companies. The ordinary Victorian – both farmer and consumer alike – will lose from this decision.”
Ms Lobato has also voiced her suspicions over the timing of the decision, which came three days after the Federal election.
“I’m sure this decision was timed with the anticipation that the public would be sick of politics and not take notice,” she said. “If so, it’s been an incredible misjudgment of the degree of public sentiment on this issues.”
And she has been backed by Shire of Yarra Ranges councillor Samantha Dunn.
Cr Dunn said lifting the moratorium would open the floodgates for other GM crops to be grown in the state, destroying Victoria’s clean and green image.
“This is the most retrograde decision I’ve seen from the Brumby Government to date,” she said.
“The assertion from the Premier that the lifting of the moratorium is of economic benefit to Victoria is misguided.”
“The majority of farmers, consumers and the food industry do not support GM crops being grown in Australia, yet the Premier has chosen to disregard this.”
Mr Brumby last week announced that the four-year moratorium on GM canola would be allowed to lapse in February next year.
He said the State Government had accepted the Federal Government’s approvals and findings of a report led by Sir Gustav Nossal, which gives GM canola the tick of approval.
“This decision will not only put Victorian farmers on a level playing field with overseas farmers, it would also deliver significant environmental benefits,” he said.
“Victorian farmers will now have the choice to grow the type of canola they want, enabling them to compete equally with overseas farmers for the first time.”
Monbulk MP James Merlino has said he approves of the Government’s decision to lift the moratorium.
A spokesman for Agriculture Minister Joe Helper said the decision had been supported by the majority of farming bodies, including the Australian Farmers Federation, and the Australian Grains Council.
He said that the decision had been made to give farmers a choice to plant higher-yielding crops that require less dangerous pesticides and are better for the environment.
“The report by Nobel Prize Winner Sir Gustav Nossal found that the grain industry would be able to ensure that GM canola was kept separate from non GM canola in the supply chain,” the spokesman said.
Cr Dunn last week called for the Federal Government to convene a meeting of the Gene Technology Ministerial Council to consider the matter nationally.
She has also criticised the lack of transparency behind the government’s decision.
“The submissions to Sir Gustav Nossal’s review are not publicly available. This is poor process and fails the test of open and transparent government,” Cr Dunn said.
But the spokesman for Mr Helper said that people with strong views on the issue were able to make submissions to the review of the moratorium and there has been much public discussion of the GM issue over the past four years since the moratorium was introduced.
“Minister Helper only received Sir Gustav’s report three weeks ago and both he and cabinet had to consider it before making a decision,” he said.