Patrick Secker (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

We have heard some very interesting speeches this afternoon in the chamber. I took note of what the member for McMillan was saying in what was certainly a very passionate speech from someone who really cares about his constituents. I also found the speech from the member for New England quite interesting. I am not sure that I would agree with everything he said, but many of the things he said are worth supporting.

I noted that the member for New England again brought in the idea of having a larger renewable energy industry in Australia, with the idea that it would make it more profitable for those who grow grain—and that may be the case. But I think you should always be very careful when you start putting one industry in front of another. If, for example, grain were to go up 50 per cent as a result of extra demand from the renewable energy industry, then that would also affect those other farmers who have to buy that grain to feed their stock—for example, dairy farmers, pig farmers and feedlotters. If, for example, it doubled the price of grain in Australia then, yes, the grain farmers would do very well, thank you very much, but I doubt whether you would have a dairy industry or a pig industry left in Australia—as a result of government action. And if that were the case then I think you would have a lot of explaining to do to the pig farmers or dairy farmers in your electorate. Perhaps the member for New England does not have too many dairy farmers or pig farmers in his electorate—

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