Australia: South Australia grain grower makes circulating petition to support competition

A grain grower from South Australia has been circulating a petition urging growers to support more competition in the state's barley market, ABC reported on December 22. In the past three weeks, Dean Hansen, from Georgetown in the mid-north, has gathered more than 500 signatures, and is aiming for 700 more by February 2006.

This petition began after South Australian growers began receiving lower cash prices for their barley than those in WA. Mr Hansen says the petition is not about removing the single desk marketing system, but allowing more competition.

"It's passionate, I've got support from interstate," he said.

"People must listen to the ABC on their Internet and have faxed me information that they used in their respective states years ago and I've also had dirty great big red crosses through the petition and sent back with no signatures because they are absolute single desk voters and that's okay, I respect that."

23 December, 2005