The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has threatened not to support any government legislation until the Wilmar sugar dispute is resolved, despite Scott Morrison saying a draft deal had already been formulated.
Morrison blasted One Nation, warning that Australians did not expect their parliamentarians to “go on strike”, noting progress the government had made since George Christensen championed the issue.
Sugar growers in north Queensland are concerned that they will lose control over who sells their sugar as Wilmar, which operates monopoly sugar mills in some districts, has failed to come to an agreement over supply with the not-for-profit industry pool Queensland Sugar Ltd.
At a doorstop in Canberra, Hanson said: “I’ve made a stance that myself and One Nation senators will not be supporting any government legislation or any legislation before parliament until the Wilmar dispute is sorted between the cane growers and Wilmar.
“I believe that they need to actually have a code of conduct, a mandatory code of conduct.”
The deputy prime minister and agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, has proposed a code of conduct that would effectively introduce more regulation into the previously deregulated sugar industry by forcing sugar companies to deal fairly with growers.
On Monday, Morrison told ABC radio the government had been working hard behind the scenes and had already got QSL and Wilmar “to a point of agreement – that happened some weeks ago”.
“That process is now working it through and being documented and being inked. I understand that a draft agreement will be before QSL today.”
Morrison said the government had resolved the issue, including achieving an increase in the term of the agreement from six to 12 years, which he said was the “direct result” of work by Malcolm Turnbull, Joyce, himself and Christensen.
Christensen had called for a mandatory code of conduct and warned that, if the dispute was not solved, he “might as well not bother” running with the LNP at the next election – although he then ruled out leaving the National party.
In a later interview on 2GB, Morrison said that Queensland legislation required binding arbitration where parties had not agreed, but in this case they had.
“On the issue of a code of practice ... on whether there should there be a belt and braces approach at federal level – that’s something the government has been considering for some time,” he said.
Earlier on ABC’s AM Morrison said the deal was concluded with the support of the Queensland government but said it was “ultimately ... embarrassed to take action” on the issue.
Asked about Hanson’s threat, Morrison said: “I don’t think Australians expect parliamentarians to go on strike.
“I think they expect them to turn up to work and do the job.”
Hanson is not the only party leader who has kicked off the parliamentary sitting week with a threat, after Nick Xenophon again linked his support for company tax cuts to the energy crisis.
“Unless the government sorts out the energy crisis that grips this country … then I’m not inclined to support any company tax cuts for businesses with a turnover in excess of $10m,” Xenophon told the ABC.
“It’s been devastating for my home state of South Australia and it will be like a contagion for the rest of the country with the closure of Hazelwood in the coming days.
“The energy crisis has to be the government’s No 1 priority.”
On Thursday Morrison confirmed the government would attempt to pass the $48bn company tax cut package in full rather than separate the big business tax cuts from the bill.
On the energy issue, the government has convened a meeting to pressure gas companies to supply the domestic market and on Monday asked the competition regulator to review the national retail electricity market.
