Australians still won't know where seafood sold at restaurants and fish-and-chip shops comes from after the Senate killed off suggested labelling changes.
Despite fish-labelling being generally supported by the upper house, the coalition and Labor could not back the legislation because it breached Australia's obligations to co-regulators New Zealand.
The private bill - voted down in the Senate on Wednesday - would have forced the food regulatory body to come up with origin standards for cooked and pre-prepared seafood within 12 months.
As an example, the standards would require a pub selling fish to list on the menu from where it comes.
Seafood sold elsewhere, such as fish markets or supermarkets, is already required to have the source country identified to consumers.
The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction that requires country-of-origin labelling for cooked fish.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon, who sponsored the bill, said the government had missed an opportunity to boost local employment.
"This really should be a no-brainer," he told the Senate.
"In voting down this commonsense reform, the government and opposition have effectively given Australian consumers the fish finger."
The bill was voted down 39-15 with the Greens supporting Senator Xenophon.
The government has unveiled a new food labelling regime which will show the proportion of a product that comes from Australia, but not the specific origin of imported ingredients.
Source: News.com.au