Labor leader Mark McGowan says he'll remove the restrictive laws that control the growth, supply and marketing of potatoes in WA if he wins government at the next state election.
Mr McGowan was a minister under the previous Carpenter Government which supported the potato marketing system.
"I was never particularly supportive of the system but I was not the minister responsible for it, in fact I was opposed to the system, but in any event my difficulty with it isn't necessarily the fact that it's open to fraud and corruption although that is a very important point, my difficulty with the system is that it increases prices for consumers and it discourages growers from growing various varieties and being efficient in ... what they grow, mine is an economic argument as opposed to all the other arguments, although this recent report indicates that there might be serious problems with compliance and capacity for extreme economic rent and perhaps fraud under the current system.
"In other states where they have a free market the prices are cheaper. In other states they have a far wider variety of potatoes available for consumers and the prices are cheaper."
"If we win government at the next election we will abolish this system. We don't have this system for cauliflowers, we don't have it for carrots, we don't have it for anything else recently fortunately the Federal Government is in the process of getting rid of some regulation around wheat and we will do the same with a system that frankly should be in place in north Korea with potatoes here in Western Australia so we'll get rid of the potato system which is more akin to a North Korean system." Mr McGowan said.
Terry Redman is the State Agriculture Minister and he continues to support the Potato Marketing Corporation.
"While consumers are getting a fair deal and the growth in the sector is not constrained then I'm not convinced there needs to be a change."
"Now the industry itself the Potato Marketing Corporation has taken the initiative in doing a report and that report has got a range of recommendations which includes issues around governance, supply chain efficiency and being demand responsive and perhaps playing a slightly more commercial role, introducing some commercialisation into what it does and I think that's a good thing."
"We have some very good potato growers here in Western Australia producing a variety of quality potatoes to go into the market at a fair price. Now I'm not convinced that the consumer and let's face it the consumer is king here, if the consumer doesn't get a fair quantity of, in terms of choice and quality potatoes then they have the right to be heard."
"It's certainly one of the last regulated industries in the nation. I've made it very clear to industry that if they can't maintain a quality of supply to consumers and if this system constrains growth in the sector then it won't have my support." Mr Redman said.
Jim Turley is the executive officer of the Potato Growers Association of WA.
He said "We believe we have one of the best systems and that's why this system has lasted because it is for consumers and growers."
"There's no monopoly on the potatoes in Western Australia, South Australia send potatoes over here all the time tonnes and tonnes and tonnes of them and as the minister said there are 30 varieties in WA we're working on at the moment, 23 went through the retail systems last year and were very successful and I might say they were accepted by the consumers in a great way."
