The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) welcomes the resolution of the backpacker tax.

ADIC Chair David Basham said after 18 months of lobbying the agricultural sector finally has a decision that ensures certainty for backpackers and employers.

“It is a good outcome for dairy farmers and small business owners to know that they will continue to be able to rely on backpackers for vital on-farm and off-farm roles which cannot be filled locally and to complement our existing workforce during peak times,” Mr Basham said.

“The impact of months of indecision has been felt across the dairy sector and, for every day this issue remained unresolved, it affected the dairy industry and rural Australia.”

The passage of the bill through the Senate ensures dairy farmers and processors can operate productive and profitable businesses.

“Along with other agricultural sectors, we have consistently said that we believe it is reasonable for backpackers to pay some tax, but the government’s initial proposal was too high,” Mr Basham said.

The decision to reduce the proposed tax rate from 32.5 per cent to 15 per cent tax maintains Australia’s status as a competitive destination for working holiday makers, while ensuring they pay a fair level of tax.

Media Contact:

Bernadette Marr, Media and Communications Manager

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) has recognised the contribution and dedication of Victorian dairy farmer Max Jelbart, with the 2016, Pat Rowley Outstanding Service Award. The award was presented at this morning’s Dairy Industry Leaders Breakfast held in Melbourne, Victoria.

The award celebrates the lives and careers of industry participants whose contribution has significantly shaped the dairy community and beyond for the benefit of the whole value chain.

Chair of the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC), David Basham said Max Jelbart was an admired intellectual who shared his time and knowledge freely.

“Max was extremely passionate about helping to foster the next generation in dairy, and ensuring they had the right tools to grow their businesses,” Mr Basham said.

“His readiness to share his expertise with industry and the community alike was inspirational – he was a tireless advocate and will continue to be remembered very fondly.”

During his career in dairy, Max served on various industry boards and committees and was a supplier of Murray Goulburn for 38 years – and a director since 2012.

A Director on the ADF Board for seven years and a past President of the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria’s South Gippsland Branch, Mr Jelbart was this year presented with an Order of Australia medal for his services to the dairy industry and the community.

A Nuffield Farming Scholar and member of the Nuffield Australia Investment Committee, Mr Jelbart was renowned for seeking out new ways to develop his capacity as a farmer as well as opportunities to give back.

The industry has bid farewell to dedicated dairy advocate, Max Jelbart who sadly passed away in June.

“On behalf of the entire dairy supply chain, the ADIC celebrates the life of Max Jelbart and his remarkable achievements throughout his career,” said Mr Basham.

Media Contact:

Bernadette Marr, Media and Communications Manager

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The future of dairy was the key topic at the Australian Dairy Industry Council’s (ADIC) Annual Leaders Breakfast, which was held today, at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

Centred around the theme ‘Dairy as a Future: Trade, Markets and Innovation’, ADIC was joined by over 200 dairy industry leaders to hear guest speakers and to discuss the current issues faced by the dairy industry.

Chair of the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC), David Basham said the event is about recognising and embracing the bright future we have in the Australian dairy industry.

Keynote speakers Head of Government Relations Blackmores, Mr Lyall Howard and Director of Dairy Futures CRC, Mr Steve Coats, spoke about the importance of change in building a more competitive future for industry in Australia.

Guest speaker Mr Lyall Howard said international trade deals are like riding a bicycle, you have to keep riding if you want to go forward.

“International business needs to keep moving in Australia, and we as an industry need to demonstrate to government that we want trade deals,” said Mr Howard.

Mr Basham highlighted the need to acknowledge the year that was and to acknowledge what drives the dairy industry forward.

“While we are an industry that has been under intense pressure, we are also an industry that has the know-how and resilience to overcome adversity and thrive in the long term,” Mr Basham said.

“We are all in the same shifting landscape of market-driven forces, consumer demands and work-altering technologies, the real challenge for us is to not become complacent.

Guests also heard from Ian Halliday, Dairy Australia Managing Director; Prof David Chapman, and Richard Romano,

The overwhelming message from the breakfast was the agreement that the dairy industry’s long term growth will come from our ability to bounce back and make the most of the all the opportunities that are presented.

Media Contact:

Bernadette Marr, Media and Communications Manager

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC), welcomed the announcement by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to reduce the northern basin target.

Chair of the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) Water Taskforce, Daryl Hoey said he was pleased to see the MDBA proposing to reduce the water recovery targets in the Northern Basin by 70GL following a rigorous socio-economic analysis in the north, which showed significant adverse impacts on agriculture and regional communities.

We now look forward to seeing the MDBA undertake a similarly robust and sophisticated analysis of the socio-economic effects of the basin plan on the Southern Basin”, said Mr Hoey.

Dairy has proved resilient over the past decade in the face of the Millennium drought, floods, and volatility in milk prices. However, socio-economic studies the industry has funded have shown the basin plan impacts are having adverse effects on dairy and regional communities.

“We agree the environment needs more water, and the water recovered so far is helping to make the rivers healthier.

However, a fully implemented basin plan and another low allocation year similar to the drought years would see dairy struggling to survive and barely enough water to operate the irrigation systems.

This would have severe negative outcomes for our regional communities.

Being smarter about how we use what we have will improve these outcomes further, without further undermining the resilience and prosperity of regional communities throughout the basin”, said Mr Hoey.

Media Contact:

Bernadette Marr, Media and Communications Manager

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The passing of the Water Amendment Bill 2015 has been welcomed by the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC), acknowledging it as a positive stride toward improving the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

The Bill provides much needed trading flexibility for the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH). This flexibility will deliver positive environmental outcomes while simultaneously providing the community, farmers and manufacturers with increased certainty on their access to water supplies.

The proposed amendments also deliver more flexible timelines for reviews of the Basin Plan and changes to the Sustainable Diversion Limit (SDL), which determine how much water can be extracted from the rivers for human consumption, including agriculture.

Chair of the ADIC Water Taskforce, Daryl Hoey said that while the amendments don’t solve all of the challenges facing dairy producers in the region, they provide the right platform to discuss further change.

“Passing the Water Amendment Bill provides the Murray Darling Basin community with important flexibility and the confidence that decision makers in Canberra are listening to their concerns,” Mr Hoey said.

“This sets the tone for future decisions on the Basin Plan – favouring quality of environmental outcomes over quantity of water, more flexibility in achieving outcomes and a Plan that doesn’t punish a vibrant and productive agricultural sector.”

The ADIC, in collaboration with state farming members and industry partners has strongly lobbied for these changes, and supports their implementation.

The ADIC is committed to working with Government to improve the management of water in the Basin, achieve the necessary community buy-in, and achieve socio-economic outcomes while meeting environmental targets.

Media Contact:

Shona McPherson, Media Officer

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

To achieve the dairy industry’s well-being targets, the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) says health, safety and well-being must become part of the everyday conversation and practice across the dairy value chain.

Addressing an audience of dairy farmers, manufacturers and industry leaders at the ADIC’s Business Breakfast with the theme ‘Protecting what matters: ensuring the health, safety and well-being of our people’ in Melbourne today, ADIC Chair Simone Jolliffe said to live up to this and retain a highly skilled workforce a culture shift is required.

“Dairy farms are not typical workplaces. There are many potential risks, and stressful situations – particularly because we are often operating in a family environment, where there is the added pressure of the day-to-day challenges of running a small business,” Mrs Jolliffe said.

“Dairy Australia is already working with state safety regulators and dairy manufacturers to provide farmers with the tools and training they need to operate safely. As an industry we need to work more collaboratively to ensure uptake and implementation, to move the workforce from ‘knowing’ to ‘doing’.”

The Dairy Industry’s Sustainability Framework has set targets for the industry to achieve by 2020. One of the targets is 100% of on-farm and manufacturing workers to have completed Occupational Health & Safety training by 2020. A further target is zero workplace fatalities. Mrs Jolliffe said the industry is falling behind on both accounts.

“Tragically there have already been two confirmed workplace fatalities in our industry this year. Workplace injuries have also risen. Across Australia, one in five people are suffering with mental heatlh challenges. This is not acceptable. We need to lead the industry in prioritising health, safety and well-being – for the benefit of our industry.”

Guests also heard from an expert panel including Dairy Australia’s Program Manager for Industry Workforce Planning and Action, Bill Youl, Worksafe Victoria’s Bruce Gibson, Lion’s Leader for Safety and Well-being Josh Norton, Field Services Manager at Fonterra Robyn Mitchard and Director of the National Centre for Farmer Health, Dr Susan Brumby.

A key focus of the panel discussion was highlighting the benefits that implementing a formal occupational health and safety plan can provide. Bill Youl observed that, as well as being the right things to do, safeguarding the workforce makes sense for farm profitability.

“A safe work environment will ensure accidents are minimised, productivity is enhanced and the full benefits of farm and manufacturing facilities realised. Our physical and mental well- being is intrinsically linked to our industry’s success,” Mr Youl said.

The ADIC made a commitment at the breakfast to drive change across the industry through improved collaboration between service providers, processors and industry representative bodies.

Media Contact:

Shona McPherson, Media Officer

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) has acknowledged the revised country of origin labelling system, announced by the Federal Government yesterday, as a positive move toward providing consumers with a clearer understanding of where their food comes from.

ADIC Chair, Simone Jolliffe said the industry provided significant feedback to the proposed system to Government, some of which is reflected in the announced laws.

“We are pleased to see the revised laws will allow for a minimum transition period of two years. This will ease implementation for manufacturers, allowing stocks of existing labels to run out and help ensure that unreasonable regulatory costs are avoided,” Mrs Jolliffe said.

“It will also allow for the development of an education campaign to properly inform consumers about interpreting the new system, so that they can make sound choices.”

The ADIC also expressed its appreciation for the opportunity to state the percentage of Australian product under the revised labelling system.

“The increased flexibility of the sliding scale system as well as the accompanying descriptions of Australian ingredient content on packaging is a positive improvement.”

The ADIC looks forward to reviewing the full detail of the proposed changes to fully understand the impact on Australian dairy products and ensure implementation of the system works for consumers, customers and the Australian dairy industry.

Media Contact:

Shona McPherson, Media Officer

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) has welcomed the Victorian Parliament’s passing of the Delivering Victorian Infrastructure (Port of Melbourne (PoM) Lease Transaction) Bill 2015.

The ADIC applauded the agreement’s inclusion of a further 10 per cent of port sale proceeds – or potentially up to $700 million – for transport infrastructure projects in regional Victoria.

ADIC Chair, Simone Jolliffe congratulated both the Government and Opposition for reaching an agreement on the Bill.

“With over 85% of Australia’s total dairy exports sent via the PoM, the dairy industry is the fifth largest user of the Port. The PoM is not only the point of export for Victorian dairy but also for the dairy industry located in Tasmania and parts of South Australia and New South Wales.

“The much needed investment in transport infrastructure will help to ensure the export supply chain remains competitive and efficient.”

The ADIC was also pleased to see:

• Compensation limited to 15 years;
• Constructive changes to port rents and licensing fees; and
• Oversight from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Mrs Jolliffe said the dairy industry looked forward to working in collaboration with the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria and the Victorian government to deliver improvements to key infrastructure priorities for dairy and agriculture more broadly.

Media Contact:

Shona McPherson, Media Officer

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) welcomes the official signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) today in Auckland, New Zealand.

Minister for Trade and Investment, the Hon. Andrew Robb AO MP, is representing Australia at the signing ceremony, which also includes Trade Ministers from the other member countries.

“The industry congratulates Minister Robb and his team of negotiators, in signing another trade agreement that benefits the Australian economy,” ADIC Chair, Simone Jolliffe said.

The ADIC notes the gains made for the Australian dairy industry in improving opportunities in key export markets such as Japan.

The conclusion of the TPP continues a historic period of increased trade liberalisation over the past few years.

The ADIC remains committed to working with Minister Robb and the Australian Government to continue trade benefits for Australia’s dairy exports.

Following the signing ceremony, Australia must go through a domestic ratification process.

Media Contact:

Sarah Chahine, Communications Officer

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) has welcomed the Parliament of Victoria’s Report on the Proposed Lease of the Port of Melbourne (PoM).

ADIC Chair, Simone Jolliffe said the dairy industry was pleased to see key recommendations of the Parliamentary report address a number of concerns around the proposed lease.

“The report’s recommendations reflect industry concerns regarding the impact of the lease on leaseholders. In particular, the recommendation to amend legislation that will lock in a role for the Essential Service Commission to manage complaints around Port pricing is a positive acknowledgment of industry advice,” Mrs Jolliffe said.

“However, key issues including safeguards for lease holders are not addressed. There needs to be greater oversight and safeguards on fees and charges for port users.”

Further, the issue of compensation for leaseholders, the amount of money being allocated to rural and regional Victoria, the timing and process for development of a second port, and the investment in the freight infrastructure servicing the port must also be considered.”

With over 85% of Australia’s total dairy exports sent via the PoM, the dairy industry is the fifth largest user of the Port. The PoM is not only the point of export for Victorian dairy producers, but also for the dairy industry located in Tasmania and parts of South Australia and New South Wales.

The ADIC has previously expressed concern at rents potentially doubling by 2023, which would significantly impact dairy’s competitiveness globally. The pricing, ongoing cost- effectiveness and efficiency of the PoM will continue to play a pivotal role in the global competitiveness of Australian dairy.

“In conjunction with the Victorian Farmers’ Federation, the ADIC will continue to engage with the Victorian Government to ensure the lease agreement encourages competition and efficiency,” Mrs Jolliffe said.

The ADIC urged the Victorian Government to adopt the key recommendations of the Parliamentary report, and called for further consultation with industry regarding appropriate safeguards and compensation.

Media Contact:

Shona McPherson, Media Officer

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) has applauded the confirmation that the China- Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) will enter into force on 20 December 2015.

ADIC Chair, Simone Jolliffe said the dairy industry was extremely pleased that the historic agreement will be ratified before the end of the 2015 calendar year.

“The entire dairy value chain, led by the ADIC, has lobbied strongly for the implementation of ChAFTA and we are pleased to see its entry into force,” Mrs Jolliffe said.

“On 20 December, Australian dairy exporters will experience the first year’s tranche of tariff reductions. This will be followed by a second round of tariff cuts on 1 January 2016.”

“In the long term this will mean more jobs across the Australian dairy industry both on farm and in processing plants. It will provide our industry with the confidence it needs to invest for a strong future.”

The ADIC thanked the Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb, and his team of negotiators as well as the Australian government, industry and the broader dairy community for its ongoing support and for ensuring the deal will be ratified in the 2015 calendar year.

Media Contact:

Shona McPherson, Media Officer

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) welcomed the Coalition’s response to the independent review of the Water Act 2007 yesterday.

ADIC Chair, Simone Jolliffe said that the industry welcomed the adoption of recommendations including to provide greater trading flexibility for the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH).

“The ADIC has long sought this flexibility for the CEWH in optimising environmental outcomes in ways that ensure dairy producers have better access to water supplies,” Mrs Jolliffe said.

“Dairy has proved a flexible and responsible user of water. We have adapted our practices to be more water-efficient. However, reduced access to water resources is already putting pressure on dairy’s productivity and profitability. This flexibility is key to helping our industry remain viable. It will also ensure a balanced approach to achieving environmental outcomes in the Murray Darling Basin.”

Mrs Jolliffe described this as a positive first step for the industry but highlighted that the ADIC was eager to see greater improvements made in the implementation of the Act and the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

“That the Government didn’t agree with the submissions of many to amend the Act to unambiguously state a triple-bottom-line objective or to strengthen the current implementation of the legislation is of concern. Such an approach is critical,” Mrs Jolliffe said.

“We were pleased to see the Government amend timelines to some evaluations and reviews under the Act. The ADIC believes these revisions need to be applied to all elements of the Act. In particular, there is a need for a robust evaluation of environmental, economic and social impacts before considering an additional 450 gigalitres (GL) of water being taken from agriculture.”

The ADIC also acknowledged the Government’s commitment to continue to work towards achieving a total 650GL supply offset. The ADIC is committed to working with Government to improve the management of water in the Basin, achieve the necessary community buy-in, and achieve socio- economic outcomes while meeting environmental targets.

Media Contact:

Shona McPherson, Media Officer

M: 0447 161 919

E: media@australiandairyfarmers.com.au