Assistant Minister for Finance, Craig Emerson, has fired a shot at some of his State Labor counterparts, by calling for a rational, science-based approach to assessing the role of genetically modified crops.
While NSW and Victoria prepare to harvest the first GM canola crops this season, GM crops are still banned in SA and WA, where they were opposed by the former Labor administration.
But Dr Emerson, an influential figure in Labor's policy development, believes there is enormous opportunity for the scientific development of genetically modified food production in Australia, citing higher yields, reduced water and chemical use.
In his keynote address at last week's CropLife Australia 2008 Perspectives Conference, Dr Emerson told members of the crop protection and crop biotechnology industry that there was a new push for dogma and superstition to prevail over fact and reason.
This was in spite of the fact Australians have genetically modified crops since William Farrer developed rust-free wheat in the 1800s, he said.
"If we asked Australians worried about GMOs to stop eating wheat today, they would say we are crazy," Dr Emerson said.
"When it comes to food, some organisations and governments like Western Australia don't ask the questions or don't do the analysis because they think GMOs are bad.
"We live and practise GMOs, and while I am not calling for open slather on GMOs, I am all for a science-based approach."
Dr Emerson was one of several speakers at the CropLife conference to challenge the delegates to think in new ways about meeting community expectations and sustaining food production.
CropLife Australia represents the developers, registrants, manufacturers and formulators of plant science solutions for use in agriculture and the management of pests in other settings.
In a thought-provoking address, Stephanie Copus-Campbell, principal executive for international programs with CARE Australia, said the current crisis in global food prices could push another 100 million people into poverty, including 30 million people in Africa alone.
Ms Copus-Campbell said this would reverse the gains made in reducing poverty over the past seven years, according to the latest studies by the World Bank.
She said the International Monetary Fund estimated that food prices in poorer nations had jumped by 83pc in the past three years, with maize prices tripling, wheat up by 127pc and rice increasing by 170pc.
Ms Copus-Campbell said biofuels were largely to blame for the escalation in food prices because they were diverting grain away from food for fuel and distorting food markets around the globe.
She said vegetable oils used for biofuels more than doubled to 9mt between 2005 and 2007 and this was forecast to reach 21mt over the next decade.
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