This inquiry was conducted during a period when the Australian dairy industry was contributing to the implementation of a number of key initiatives, including the introduction of the mandatory dairy industry code of conduct from 1 January 2020, and the development of the Australian Dairy Plan (both of which are discussed later in this report).

The committee received 36 public submissions. A list of individuals and organisations that made submissions to the inquiry, together with other information authorised for publication, is at Appendix 1.

This report comprises six chapters, including the introductory chapter.

• Chapter 2 provides an overview of the dairy industry in the context of deregulation and a discussion of issues facing the current industry.
• Chapter 3 considers issues relating to the role, structure, funding and research, development and extension activities of Dairy Australia.
• Chapter 4 outlines the provisions of the mandatory dairy code of conduct and issues arising from its introduction in 2020. It also discusses the bargaining power of farmers, processors and supermarkets in the dairy supply chain.
• Chapter 5 examines statistical data gathered by Dairy Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
• Chapter 6 considers approaches to support a viable dairy industry into the future.