Fiona Nash

Fiona Nash is Australian Assistant Health Minister and a member of the National Party of Australia. In February 2014 her chief of staff Alastair Furnival was forced to resign following revelations of his involvement in a company lobbying for food companies.

The controversy arose after it emerged that Nash had decided unilaterally that a new healthy food star rating website should be pulled down the same day it was launched. The site had been in development for two years had been approved by state and territory food ministers. The food industry has long opposed such 'traffic light' systems.

In the words of one critic:

'..the true scandal is that a person responsible for improving the health of the nation seems to sing from the processed food industry songbook.'

'..Nash's National Party still accepts tobacco funding, which is a clear conflict of interest for a minister responsible for tobacco policy.'

Furnival had a "shareholding" in lobbying outfit Australian Public Affairs, which is run by his wife. Nash had previously stated he had "no connection" to the junk food industry.