Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

On the question of fertiliser prices, this is something that the government has been presented with by farming groups right across Australia. Fertiliser prices have gone through the roof, and it is a huge impost in terms of your ability to earn a quid out of the family farm. It is a challenge which both the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and I have been presented with in meeting after meeting. I would also say to the honourable member for Maranoa that these representations did not begin in December last year. If he were honest about it, he would know that the problem with the cost of fertiliser has been around for a long, long, long time. My understanding is—and I would look for guidance here from the minister for agriculture—that there is a committee involving Senator Heffernan and others who are looking at this matter and they will be very mindful of recommendations which come forward in terms of future action.

Recently at the Pacific Islands Forum I actually raised these matters with the President of Nauru—Nauru, as you know, being a continued source of significant superphosphate in terms of international and regional fertiliser supplies—and what could be done on the supply side out of that small country vis-a-vis some of the problems that exist in global fertiliser markets. I will not for a minute pretend that the prospects coming out of that meeting had any immediate solution to the problem but I have to say that this is a dialogue that we intend to now pursue with—

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