Australian industry body Seafood Industry Australia has congratulated the Albanese Government on its 2022 Federal Election win.
‘On behalf of Australia’s commercial seafood industry I would like to extend my congratulations to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australian Labor Party (ALP) for their 2022 Federal Election win,’ said SIA CEO Veronica Papacosta.
‘SIA looks forward to continuing to build on our relationship with the incoming government, along with the Minister for Agriculture Julie Collins and her team, who have been avid supporters of Australia’s seafood industry including the fishers, farmers and retailers who underpin the industry.’
She commented that SIA aims to continue to work constructively with the ALP to further develop policies, positions and projects that provide benefits to those in the industry as well as those who are supportive consumers of Australia’s seafood products, including the phased introduction of Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) for Australian seafood sold in foodservice.
‘In the lead-up to the Federal Election, SIA secured a landmark commitment from the ALP to work with the seafood and hospitality sectors to implement mandatory CoOL, in support of our great Australian seafood industry,’ she said.
‘The implementation of mandatory CoOL for seafood in foodservice has been one of SIA’s key priorities for the past five years, and a cause championed by industry and consumers for decades. The ALP also reinforced their support for our industry by committing to maintain our robust Marine Park network in its current form. This commitment provides surety of access to our fishers and affirms investment potential and paves the way for innovation.’
SIA also mentioned the outgoing administration’s achievements during the pandemic and on meeting an election commitment to fund a two-year national roll-out of the Stay Afloat mental health program to 50 seafood hubs around Australia. ‘This is a wonderful result, and we look forward to being able to provide critical and much needed support to our industry members,’ she said.
‘Workforce attraction and retention, along with export market freight access remain key focus areas for the seafood industry and we look forward to working on these important issues with Minister Collins and the ALP. I would like to take a moment to thank the Coalition, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Assistant Minister for Fisheries Senator Jonno Duniam, and Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud MP for their unwavering support of the Australian seafood industry while in government. The seafood industry was the first and worst hit during the COVID pandemic, and the Coalition’s support can be thanked for our strong rebound position.’
