It is a decision that has sparked widespread debate within the rural sector over many months and more recently among politicians since the September poll.

Now four of the five federal crossbenchers have teamed up to announce a private members’ bill to stop GrainCorp being sold to ADM.

Only one of their number, member for Indi Cathy McGowan, is supporting the sale, one she believes will create better economies of scale, benefiting grain growers and boosting Australia’s competitiveness.

But Ms McGowan wants strict conditions attached to any sale approval that might be granted by Mr Hockey including the replacement of outdated infrastructure such as old silos, as well as improvements to inadequate rail networks and ageing rolling stock.

Ms McGowan is at odds with her crossbench colleagues who fear a foreign monopoly being imposed on Australian farmers, prompting their attempt to take the decision away from Mr Hockey in an early test of the independents’ strength.