F78/ 250
FOR PRESS 3 DECEMBER 1978
MEAT INSPECTION INQUIRY
The Prime X~ inister today announced that he had written to
State Premiers and the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
seeking their agreement to the establishment of an independent
committee to inquire into and report on Commonwealth and State
meat inspection arrangements.
The Prime Minister emphasised the necessity of obtaining
State Government co-operation to enable the committee to
effectively conduct its wide ranging investigations. State
Governments are responsible in most States for the inspection
of meat for domestic consumption while the Commonwealth has
responsibility for export meat.
The Prime Minister recalled that he had written to Premiers
on 4 May seeking their co-operation in rationalising the
present system of separate Commonwealth and State meat inspection
systems. Premiers generally had replied that improvements could be
made to the present arrangements, and had expressed the view
that State Government should exercise a greater role.
The Prime Minister said that the Commonwealth had nominated
the Hon. C. R. Kelly, a former minister of State and long time
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public
Works, and M*. r W. A. Buettel, a former General manager of the
Commonwealth Development Bank, Queensland, serve as members
of the inquiry.
The Commonwealth Government proposed that the inquiry have
the following terms of reference:
The Corcmiztee of Inquiry will be required to investigate
and report to the Minister for Primary Industry on:
the merits and demerits of the meat inspection system
as presently operated by State and Federal bodies;
whether the present system of meat insepction administration
should be retained and, if so, with or without modification;
an alternative system if the present meat inspection
administration systems should not be retained;
2
the recommended organisational structure and control
of an alternative meat ' inspection system if the
present system should not be retained;
the industrial relations and any other considerations.
These terms of reference are sufficiently wide to allow the
Committee to investigate and evaluate the present system of
separate meat inspection administration arrangements. They
would give the inquiry scope to suggest alternatives to the
present arrangements. Its findings should be of great
assistance to governments in finding means of rationalising
meat inspection services, and reducing costs.