Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

In the course of those visits I have had the opportunity, with regard to the different election promises which we have undertaken, to gain a view of the different views of people working the land—for instance, on the reforms which we have undertaken and are now implementing with respect to wheat marketing arrangements for the $3.5 billion wheat industry in Australia. Both Kelly Shields and Mark Hyde, and the pastoralists and graziers when I visited them in Western Australia, are very supportive of the changes of the government. At the same time, the WA Farmers Federation are taking a different view and are urging me to depart from the promises that the Labor Party took to the election.

I inform the House that we will be keeping to the promise to have a regulated but competitive wheat export market in Australia. The process for drafting legislation to establish Wheat Exports Australia has begun. I have also established the Independent Expert Group to advise me on the ‘industry good’ functions previously undertaken by the AWB. The IEG met for the first time last week. It is chaired by South Australian wheat grower John Crosby. Under the existing law, we have also issued three wheat export permits allowing further wheat exports to Iraq and the UK.

Our promise on the Torres Strait fisheries buyback has been implemented. The new member for Leichhardt has been a strong advocate on this issue, and the outcomes acknowledge and protect the traditional way of life and the livelihood of Torres Strait traditional inhabitants while providing long-term economic and employment opportunities.

We have also extended assistance in the wake of equine influenza. That assistance was due to end on 8 February but has now been extended to 14 March. Particularly given the comments today from the New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries, we are very hopeful that there will no longer be red and purple zones by 14 March. I have had the opportunity to meet with the leaders of the peak bodies of the Australian horse industry from Queensland and New South Wales and also those involved in the racing industry at Warwick Farm. It is no exaggeration to say that in the wake of EI the horse industry has been devastated in recent months, and I am sure that we will have more to say on that when the Callinan inquiry reports.

The damage caused by the floods in New South Wales and Queensland has been particularly shocking. When I visited Emerald with the Minister for Human Services and Kyogle with the Prime Minister, we had the opportunity to meet with affected families. It was made clear to us that the full extent of damage by floods is not always clear at the high-water mark. We were able to lend a helping hand under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements and hear about the good work being done on the ground by the members for Flynn and Page to help working families affected.

The savings measures on drought have been referred to and were announced by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. The two concepts of drought and climate change, while different, are intrinsically linked. The member for New England, as well as presenting me with an Akubra, for which I thank him, took me out to Brian and Marion Reid’s sheep and cattle farm at Bendemeer, near Tamworth. Compounding the problem of drought that those families were able to tell us about is, of course, the serious inflation problem. It is not simply people in suburbia who are affected by mortgages and who are concerned about Australia having the highest inflation rate in 16 years. To that end, we identified where savings could be made within the drought assistance programs that would not affect farmers who are receiving much-needed help.

Unfortunately, in the wake of those savings, which were done in a way that would not affect farmers who were receiving much-needed help, a fear campaign was waged by the Leader of the National Party which, if successful, will only have the impact of causing farmers who are entitled to assistance not to apply. It is the first time there has been a departure from bipartisan support on drought assistance.

See this speech in context