ABSTRACT
Government policy has had a major impact on the marketing of Australian wheat and on research and development related to wheat. The effects of government policy on the supply of and demand for genetic diversity in Australian wheat production are diverse and often subtle. However, since 1950, there have been three broad periods of policy regimes that affected varietal diversity. The first, up to 1971, was characterised by regulated marketing, wheat breeding in the public sector, and wheat graded as “Fair Average Quality.” The second, from 1972–89, was characterised by the continued dominance of regulated marketing and public wheat breeding, but with multiple grades and differing prices. The third period, since 1990, has been characterised by market deregulation, more specialised grades and payments for protein, increasingly commercialised breeding, and increased numbers of varieties released. These broad periods define times at which various government and industry policies, such as research and development and wheat marketing in Australia, have influenced the genetic diversity of the wheat varieties grown in both positive and negative directions since 1950.
