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Supporting Australia's wheat growers after major economic reforms

12 May 2009
DAFF09/241B

The Rudd Government will provide up to $1.5 million over two years to help ensure fair access to port terminals for wheat exporters, as part of on-going efforts to support Australia’s wheat growers.

The funding is part of the previous commitment of up to $9.4 million for a transitional assistance program, to help producers adjust after major economic reforms to the bulk wheat export marketing system.

The $1.5 million will help to protect access for accredited exporters to port terminal operators under the wheat marketing legislation.

Under the legislation, accredited exporters who are also port terminal operators must have undertakings to provide fair and reasonable access to other accredited exporters.

These undertakings must be in place with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) by 1 October 2009 and the ACCC has been working closely with bulk handling companies to ensure the deadline is met.

The Government will provide the $1.5 million to the ACCC to assist with its work.

This is part of the transitional assistance program that began in 2008, to help producers adjust to the largest reforms to the bulk wheat export marketing system in six decades.

Key transitional measures to be continued in 2009-10 include:

  • Market data to be published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and ABARE until the end of 2010-11; and
  • Funding to be provided under the Wheat Export Technical Market Support Grants to expand existing markets and identify new opportunities, especially for smaller export companies.


Under the reformed system, 23 companies have already been accredited, with 15 exporters shipping more than 5.2 million tonnes of wheat to 35 countries, including new markets in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The Rudd Government is also looking at long-term infrastructure priorities to underpin an efficient bulk wheat export marketing system.

“We have delivered on our election commitment to establish taskforces in Western Australia and NSW to investigate grain freight systems,” Mr Burke said.

“Both reviews are underway and are expected to report back later this year.”