QUEENSLAND:
Beattie challenges Nationals over sugar deregulation

by Patrick J. Byrne

News Weekly, May 17, 2003
Beattie challenges Nationals over sugar deregulation

Queensland Labor Premier, Peter Beattie, has offered to withdraw a Bill before state parliament that would deregulate the sugar industry, if Deputy Prime Minister and National Party leader, John Anderson, publicly withdraws from the federal-state agreement to deregulate the industry.

Mr Anderson told The Australian the Queensland Government had not introduced the new legislation with proper consultation and signalled the Federal Government could withdraw its $120 million share of a joint assistance package.

Mr Beattie challenged both John Anderson and Warren Truss (Federal Agriculture Minister) to call for the state to scrap the bill, saying, "If you want us to pull out of this legislation, say so publicly and we will be happy to do it."

De-Anne Kelly, the federal member for the sugar seat of Dawson, said in a press statement that the National Party through John Anderson, "has made it quite clear that [the Nationals] will not support any moves that would transfer market power from growers to millers ...

"I will be recommending to John Anderson that, under the circumstance, the Commonwealth has no option other than to withdraw from the Memorandum of Understanding, and to withdraw the funding package."

• Pat Byrne