Advocacy

Actions speak louder than words.

Political

We advocate on government policy that may negatively impact your business and its viability and we also identify market movements and changes that may impact your business.

During the pandemic IFDA played a major role in influencing policy change for its members. We worked closely with the National Small Business Ombudsman’s office, the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia and state based ‘Small Business Commissioners’ nationally.

 

CEO of IFDA, Richard Forbes was invited to sit on;

  • The Food Supply Chain Working Group

  • Supermarket Task Force and;

  • Supply Chain Consequence Management – East Coast Severe Weather Impact – Industry working group

 

The Hon, Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia and CEO of IFDA, Richard Forbes

The Hon, Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

Jobkeeper/Jobseeker

Working with a range of small business representative bodies over a number of months, IFDA played an important role in highlighting to Treasury the need to keep our workers in jobs while, at the same time, supporting our businesses affected by the economic impact of Covid 19. The Jobkeeper and Jobseeker programs were the result.

$1 Billion Small Business Support Package NSW

IFDA played a major role, in briefing senior advisers in Treasurer Matt Kean MP’s office over many months, in securing this package which has the Business Support Program at its core. It also achieved rebates for RAT kits.

Stock Loss Grants

Food businesses throughout the food supply chain were impacted by snap lockdowns. Each lockdown resulted in substantial revenue losses for owners but also losses in stock, particularly perishable product. After highlighting the issue to the current Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce and, after engaging with the NSW Government, a $20,000 Grant was announced for businesses impacted by future lockdowns.

Hon Matthew Kean MP, Treasurer of New South Wales & Richard Forbes, CEO IFDA

Richard Forbes, CEO IFDA & Hon Bruce Billson, Small Business Ombudsman

Scrapping of Close Contact Isolation Rules in Logistics Side of Food Supply Chain

Through ‘The Australian’ newspaper, IFDA called for National Cabinet (NC) to scrap the close contact rules in the logistics side of the food supply chain to not only ensure food was provided to critical facilities in the health sector, but also to ensure warehouses could keep operating. This article was supported by the AFGC in the same media outlet the next day and NC made the decision to change the rules the next week.

Major Banks Provide Support for IFDA Members

IFDA met with the Federal Government’s COVID 19 Consultative Committee which resulted in the Committee contacting the CEO’s of Australia’s four major banks to outline the impact of COVID-19 on our industry. As result, the banks agreed to establish:

  1. A small working group as a point of contact for our members and;

  2. Developed a letter, signed by the CEO’s, which our members could take to their local banks requesting they take a sympathetic approach to food distributors whose cashflow had been severely impacted.

With Opposition Leader, the Hon. Peter Dutton MP.

Richard Forbes, CEO IFDA with former Prime Minister, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP.

Industry Collaboration

IFDA collaborates closely with like-minded representative bodies to ensure key issues affecting the national food supply chain are understood and advocated on with major influencers and decision makers. It works across industry as a facilitator to ensure Australia has one, united voice on food related issues.

We have developed relationships with the CEOs of all the major food peak bodies including transport and logistics. We meet regularly with the Small Business Ombudsman, the Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA) and became a partner. We worked closely with the AFGC, MGA, Restaurant and Caterers Association, National Retailers Association, Metcash, IGA, FSAA, AACS, ACAPMA and National Farmers Federation. We actively engaged with Australian Bankers Association, CEO Anna Bligh.