Australians will soon be able to select their preferred seafood products in restaurants and cafes, with country-of-origin labelling (CoOL) to be added to menus. Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic has announced the new labelling initiative is on track to come into effect from 1 July 2025, with a final four-week consultation underway and 12-month transition period to help businesses adjust.
According to the Albanese government, the move will give people the clear choice to buy Australian when they want to, stating that Australian consumers value locally-sourced seafood for its high-quality and sustainable practices, but feel menus don’t currently offer enough information to make an informed choice.
Once in place, venues such as restaurants, takeaways, pubs and clubs will be required use the Australian-Imported-Mixed (AIM) model to indicate the seafood’s origin from three options: A (Australian); I (imported); and M (of mixed origin containing both Australian and imported seafood).
“Whether it’s a seafood basket with the kids or prawns on the barbie, Aussies should have the right to make informed choices about buying Australian,” Husic said.
“Australia’s oceans are home to some of the best prawns, oysters and fish in the world, but more than 60% of seafood bought by Australians is imported. By giving Australians an informed choice about where their seafood comes from, we’re supporting the Australian seafood industry, securing jobs and boosting our economy.
“This is a simple and practical approach that strikes the right balance between informing consumers while minimising costs and red tape for businesses.”
Commonwealth, state and territory consumer affairs ministers agreed to the new CoOL approach following extensive consultation with the public and industry. This process found the proposed AIM labelling model was a practical and low-cost approach that strikes the right balance between improving consumer information while minimising business costs and impacts.
“Australia is home to a world class seafood industry. Aussies are proud of our industry and consumers overwhelmingly want to buy high-quality, fresh local produce,” Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins said.
“The Albanese Labor Government continues to back our local seafood industry and Australian consumers, who deserve and want to know where their seafood is coming from. We’re delivering on a key commitment, which I was pleased to make at the last election, and will continue to support the efforts our local seafood industry has made to identify their products.”
Collins continued: “The fisheries industry provides significant value both as a job creator and economic driver in regional Australia and our government is proud to back Australian seafood, which is some of the best in the world.”
The progress on CoOL has been welcomed by trade body Seafood Industry Australia (SIA), with CEO Veronica Papacosta describing it as “a win for both consumers and industry” and praising it for “empowering people to choose Australian seafood when they want to”.
Papacosta said: “Despite Australia having the world’s third-largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), a staggering 64% of the seafood we consume is imported. This highlights the importance of clear labelling so consumers can make informed choices.”
Acknowledging the extensive consultation undertaken by the government and industry to develop a model that improves consumer transparency while minimising business impact, she said that CoOL “has been a long time coming”, and while the government’s announcement is a positive step forward, there is still work to do.
“Ensuring a smooth transition for food service businesses and driving consumer awareness will be critical to the success of this new legislation. A strong public awareness campaign will be essential—not only to support the hospitality sector but also to encourage Australians to ask for Australian seafood.”
