It is a pleasure to rise to speak on the Agriculture and Food Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2024. I might speak a little bit about what this bill means and what it will do, and then I will get into the fabulous Bellarine electorate. We have heard a little bit about the Bellarine electorate today, which is lovely. This bill will amend the Food Act 1984. It will also amend the Meat Industry Act 1993, the Seafood Safety Act 2003 and the Dairy Act 2000 to improve the operational functions of Victorian food safety regulators and provide more efficient and effective delivery of food safety regulation in Victoria. This is about implementing some food safety and public health policy and streamlining those organisational functions of the Victorian food safety regulators, including the meat and seafood regulator PrimeSafe and the dairy regulator Dairy Food Safety Victoria. This aims to improve overall consistency between the acts, it will address several recommendations of Food Act reforms that had been made by VAGO, the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, and it is going to provide clarity around various regulation requirements, particularly for Victorian food businesses.

This bill is important for all of us as consumers of food. We need to ensure there is a safe system of regulation enforcement, and it is there to help prevent any illnesses, hospitalisations or even death, or eating the wrong things, like maybe rabbit.

The Bellarine Peninsula is truly a foodie’s paradise. I represent an electorate that is a significant contributor to the food and fibre sector and the food manufacturing industry as well. It does draw a whole lot of visitors and locals with its rich array of all those culinary experiences. We have fresh produce. We offer a diverse mix of that paddock-to-plate or farm-to-table dining experience, artisan products, award-winning wineries and distilleries, and if you can picture it, it is also set amongst the stunning coastal backdrop with hinterlands in the middle of the Bellarine, our true agricultural centre.

Bellarine has incredible cafes, restaurants, farm gates, producers, bakeries, butchers and food manufacturers, including some of my favourites: Lard Ass Butter, who do an absolute amazing butter – garlic butter is my favourite – and Bellarine brownies. We have Lonsdale Tomato Farm, roadside stalls for honey, farmers markets nearly every weekend and you can go and pick your own berries at a couple of the berry farms as well.

As we have indicated today, many have said we have an incredible seafood industry on the Bellarine. We have our famous Portarlington mussels and abalone. Portarlington is very much known as the mussel capital of Victoria and I would argue probably Australia in that 60 per cent of Australian mussels come from Portarlington. It is an absolute booming industry for us on the Bellarine, but it is not only fantastic for our economy in terms of jobs and tourism and our local food industry; the mussels themselves are also cleaning our waters in our bay. They are really important to our marine ecosystem, and they do actually filter our waters in our bay.

I have been very fortunate to go out on Portarlington Mussel Tours, which is a 40-year-old mussel trawler that has been refurbished. It is a beautiful boat that you can go out on. You will sail along Portarlington, learn about mussel farming and hear directly from Lance, who is the owner and the farmer of Portarlington mussels. He will take you out to the waters where the mussels grow. He lifts up the ropes with the mussels growing there and you pick your own lunch. You get a bucket, and you get to pick the mussels and put them in the bucket. You then get to go have a drink or sit down and watch him clean and cook the mussels. Then he presents you with an absolute culinary delight of a whole lot of different mussels cooked in different ways. It is absolutely fantastic; I recommend people go out and do it. You really get to learn about the food and the importance of our farmers who are relying on that type of industry. I think there is more and more appetite – excuse the pun – to learn about where our food comes from, the producers of that food, the story behind their food and where it comes from and of course that it is safe and healthy and fresh.

That is what you can also do at a farmers market. I have actually got a little bit of my own personal experience. A few years ago another family and I, two busy mums who thought we did not have enough to do, started a little boutique farm, and we would sell garlic and berries at farmers markets. Doing that, I got to speak directly to customers, and they were so passionate about knowing how the food was grown, how it was cleaned, how it was produced, where it was from, the kilometres it might have travelled and any pesticides or things that might have been used. We were organic, which is a great story to also tell, but people were really wanting to know about their food. In doing that I had to go through the council and make sure that we were complying with all the regulations that we do here as well and that we are setting today, and it is a really important process. Proudly I would do that to ensure that the food that we were producing was also healthy and safe.

We also have a thriving tourism industry on the Bellarine and that is surrounded almost by food itself. We have a terrific experience called the Q Train where you can jump on an old steam train and experience Bellarine food and wine; it is absolutely a magnificent way to experience the Bellarine on a plate. We have many cafes and bakeries. Ket Baker is one I have had the minister come visit. They do incredible sourdough and croissants, and there is a line out the door every time you visit there. It really is a foodie experience. We are committed to fine producers, we have a place to enjoy that delicacy and we learn about the farmers as well.

I think that is probably my audition for Postcards or Getaway.

Food safety is also very crucial, though, for our trusted brand on the Bellarine and our Victorian brand as a tourism and food destination. When visitors come to enjoy the unique flavours of the Bellarine and our fresh offerings they do bring those expectations of high-quality safe dining experiences. Upholding our food safety is not only protecting the health of our communities and our guests, but it also ensures the sustainable reputation of our region. With a commitment to vigorous standards and transparency we do enhance our visitor confidence, we promote the return of tourists and we celebrate our local food scene in a responsible way. Food safety plays a significant role in building and maintaining that consumer trust, and when businesses adhere to those strict food safety standards consumers do feel more secure in their choices and more likely to return. Additionally, a strong food safety culture enhances reputable industries such as restaurants, grocery stores and food production, and health is that priority. Beyond individual health and trust in food safety, it does have a broader implication for our public health and our economy. We know that widespread foodborne illnesses can strain our health system and can lead to economic losses, closures or decreased spend in affected sectors. Ensuring our food safety is not just for individuals but for stable, healthy and thriving communities, and that is certainly what we have on the Bellarine.

I am really pleased to speak on this bill and contribute to a bill that is about improving our regulations of food safety, increasing that clarity around Victorian businesses and making sure that consumers are at the heart of our food regulations as well. I encourage people to come to the Bellarine, experience the food wonder that we have on offer on the Bellarine, from seafood to all those cafes and bakeries and other food producers – come to a farmers market, speak to farmers, hear about the food. I commend this bill to the house.