Senate abolishes Australian wheat monopoly
Updated
![Australia's single desk wheat board has been scrapped by the Senate. [ABC]](http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/img/news/base/aus_wheat_abc_221206.jpg "Australia's single desk wheat board has been scrapped by the Senate. [ABC]")
Australia's single desk wheat board has been scrapped by the Senate. [ABC]
Australia's senate has passed the federal Government's bill to scrap the single desk marketing system for wheat exports.
The bill was easily passed with the support of government and opposition Liberal Party senators.
As expected, however, Liberal allies the Nationals broke with their Coalition colleagues to oppose the change.
The government did agree to some Opposition amendments, which means the measures will have to go back to the House of Representatives for approval.
The Nationals' Barnaby Joyce told the Senate he still doesn't believe introducing competition into bulk wheat exports is wanted, or necessary.
"I feel the bill is not responsive to, nor does it advance, and we've provided tonight that it's technically inadequate," Mr Barnaby said.
"So I think it neither advances nor is it responsive to the issues of wheat growers, it certainly doesn't reflect the overall sentiment of wheat growers."
At the end of 2006, then-prime minister John Howard stripped the Australian Wheat Board, AWB, of its single-desk marketing power after 11 former AWB officials were accused of paying kickbacks to former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein.
