April 28, 2008

Australian wheat farmers favour export monopoly
 

About 80 percent of Australian wheat growers favor an export monopoly and only 15 percent support a system of multiple exporters as proposed by the government, according to an opinion survey commissioned by Tony Windsor, an independent member of parliament, issued Monday (April 28, 2008).

A further 5 percent of growers favor total deregulation of wheat export arrangements, the survey showed.

Windsor commissioned the survey, which was conducted via Rural Press Marketing Services. Of the 20,845 postal interviews dispatched, 2,819 valid responses were received, giving the survey a 95 percent confidence level, according to the survey report.

"The great majority of wheat growers, small and large from across Australia, want a single desk bulk wheat exporting system retained," he said in a statement.

In Western Australia, 71 percent of growers favor an export monopoly and 22 percent multiple exporters, the survey found.

Windsor hopes the results of the survey will pressure the government to change its plans to accredit multiple exporters from July 1, which will end a protected system that since World War II saw AWB Ltd. (AWB.AU) or its predecessor, the Australian Wheat Board, operate an export monopoly or, in recent years, dominate exports.

Windsor said the results of the survey make it hard for the government to justify scrapping the current system.

The government, which does not command a majority in the Senate or upper house, needs the help of some opposition and independent senators to win passage of legislation.