On 17 October 2019, the following matter was referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 25 March 2020.
On 26 February, the Senate granted an extension of time to report until 25 June 2020.
On 15 May 2020, the Senate granted a further extension of time to report until 19 August 2020.
On 20 July 2020, the Senate granted a further extension of time to report until 15 September 2020.
On 20 August, the Senate granted a further extension of time to report until 12 November 2020.
On 30 September 2020, the Senate granted a further extension of time to report until 11 February 2021.
On 5 February 2021, the Senate granted a further extension of time to report until 18 March 2021.
Submissions closed on 29 November 2019.
The performance of Australia’s dairy industry and the profitability of Australian dairy farmers since deregulation in 2000, with particular reference to:
- the ability of Dairy Australia to act independently and support the best interests of both farmers and processors;
- the accuracy of statistical data collected by Dairy Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics;
- the funding of Dairy Australia and the extent of its consultation and engagement on the expenditure of levies revenue;
- the merits of tasking the ACCC to investigate how it can regulate the price of milk per litre paid by processors to dairy farmers to ensure a viable dairy industry;
- alternative approaches to supporting a viable dairy sector;
- the introduction of a mandatory industry code of practice; and
- any related matters.