Our work

Why do we need a Queensland Food Farmers' Commissioner?

To provide clear, credible information, advocating for fairer systems, building consumer confidence, and ensuring Queensland farmers have a strong voice in national food policy.

Our governance

The Commissioner is an independent authority established under the Queensland Food Farmers' Commissioner Act 2024. It includes the Food Farmers' Commissioner and its supporting office.

This initiative follows the 2024 Queensland Parliament Supermarket Pricing Select Committee's recommendation to establish a Commissioner to:

• improve price transparency with dealings related to food supply chains and pricing of products
• address power imbalances in the food supply chain
• advocate for the state's food farmers to support sustainability and stability of the food supply chain in Queensland.

Our ministerial expectations

• Continue building trust with industry, including promotion of the Commissioner's (confidential) online portal.
• Engage with industry to support a market reporting tool that aggregates anonymised pricing data, to improve market awareness and negotiating power for farmers.
• Liaise with the Australian Government in relation to the implementation of recommendations from the ACCC supermarket inquiry.
• Liaise with the Australian Government in relation to the National Food Security Strategy, including on opportunities to support Queensland farmers to contribute to our national food security.
• Work with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to support priority areas, including supporting the Primary Industries Prosper 2050 blueprint.

Our commissioner—Rachel Chambers

How good is food!

It's something we all share—it brings us together, shapes and celebrates our cultures, connects us to land and community, and underpins our health and wellbeing. Food is fundamental, yet the systems that support it are complex, interdependent and often undervalued.

As Queensland's Food Farmers Commissioner, I'm privileged to work alongside the people who farm the food that feeds us all. My role is about connecting dots across government, industry and community to help solve wicked problems and further the opportunities that exist between policy, production and people.

I love the challenge of making sense of complexity and translating that into practical, collaborative outcomes.

Prior to this role I spent 3 years as the CEO of Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers and prior to entering the food and farming space, I served nearly 6 years as a Mayor in regional Queensland. Each role has shaped me deeply: teaching me the power of calm leadership, evidence-based decisions, and the magic that happens when you bring people with very different views to a shared table.

I'm endlessly curious about how systems work, how people work, and how we can make them work better together.

Because food isn't just about what's on the plate, the supply chain, the economics of the industry or the nutrition it brings. It's all that and more as it brings together people, place and purpose.

Our 2026 strategic plan

To Queensland food producers, industry and government, we commit to:

Being accessible and trusted

• Being available, responsive and approachable for Queensland producers seeking support, guidance or confidential assistance.
• Promoting awareness and confidence in the Commissioner's confidential online portal as a safe place to raise concerns.

Strengthening fairness and transparency

• Supporting producers to understand and navigate the frameworks, codes and commercial arrangements that govern relationships with supermarkets, traders and major buyers.
• Working closely with the ACCC, supermarket Code Arbiters and other relevant bodies to enable confidential referrals and effective resolution of disputes.
• Identifying, monitoring and reporting behaviours and business practices that negatively impact Queensland farmers, market fairness or consumer confidence.

Advocating for producers

• Providing high-quality, evidence-based advice to the Queensland Government on developments in national and federal frameworks affecting food supply chains.
• Liaising with the Australian government on supermarket reforms, the National Food Security Strategy and opportunities to strengthen outcomes for Queensland producers.
• Working with DPI to support shared priorities, including delivery of the Primary Industries Prosper 2050 blueprint.

Building stronger systems for the future

• Supporting the development of tools and initiatives that improve market transparency, including anonymised pricing and market reporting mechanisms.
• Bringing stakeholders together to address power imbalances, reduce risk, and improve the long-term sustainability and resilience of Queensland's food system.

Our annual report

We report on our performance, governance and financial management each year.

The 2025–26 Annual report (PDF, 545KB) outlines how we have delivered our statutory functions and met the Minister for Primary Industries' expectations during these 12 months.