A former Howard government minister has called for national regulations forcing restaurants and fast food outlets to tell customers where their fish originated.
"You do not know whether it comes from Australia or Vietnam or the sewers of some southeast Asian country," Senator Ian Macdonald told parliament.
The senator hopes rules requiring supermarkets to identify whether fish is Australian or imported will be extended to restaurants in the not too distant future but said he understood Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) was the "problem".
Legislation making technical changes to FSANZ passed the Senate on Wednesday, while provisions to change the composition of its board were defeated by a Labor amendment.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon said he was concerned the bi-national government agency jeopardised Australia's sovereignty.
"My problem with FSANZ is that it can be relied upon by the government of the day as a reason not to do something as obvious as tell a restaurant or takeaway shop's customers whether the fish they're purchasing for immediate consumption is Australian or not," he told the Senate.
"In a supermarket, you know where fish comes - 20 metres down the road, you've got no idea."
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