Thursday, 19 October 2023

Dairy industry

John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (09:54): I rise to stand in unity with the 150 members of the Transport Workers’ Union taking protected industrial action in regional Victoria. The negotiations between the parties broke down last week as they could not agree on job security, safe rates and entitlements. It has been a long path to here. Murray Goulburn was a co-op owned by the farmers. It had a reasonable approach to industrial relations. Wages and conditions through enterprise bargaining achieved good outcomes for both parties. However, since Murray Goulburn was bought out by a multinational entity, it has become Saputo, a Canadian-based company that knows nothing about rural and regional communities. It has not grasped the concept of good-faith bargaining. Members of the TWU in this industry have rarely taken strike action and in fact have a great relationship with the dairy farmers in their respective regions. But the decision-makers 16,000 kilometres away, on the other side of the world, are making decisions on regional Victorian jobs and their longevity, something I am sure those on the other side would not find acceptable. It was great to join the Deputy Premier, the Deputy Speaker, the member for Kororoit, the member for Lara, the member for Yan Yean, my friend Mr McIntosh and the member for Ripon yesterday in a show of unity. I encourage anyone in this chamber who wants to show their support to come and have a chat with me.