John Cobb (Calare, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Come on, I have still got six minutes. Stop panicking. The various corporations must learn to cooperate better. I believe it is the government's job to make sure that they do.

I have been involved with this for a long time. I think it is quite obvious—and I am no scientist and never intended nor wanted to be—that common-sense says that the genetics that are inherit within plants and animals means that if you do not cooperate you are going to miss out. I understand why some scientists want their name up there. If you do the work, you deserve to have it that way.

While the shadow minister is talking down there, I will say that I am sure that if he had been the minister he would not have wanted to knock $100 million out of the government's contribution of matching funds, but his predecessor certainly did want to do that. I am not going to go on any longer except to say that this $100 million means an awful lot. It better be used wisely and cooperatively. Historically broadacre has done enormous things. As I said, it has levelled out a lot in increasing productivity and the like. Horticulture today can probably make greater advances quicker with genetic work than broadacre can because it is so much more controllable and it lends itself naturally to laboratory work. Whether it is horticulture or broadacre, we need this R&D and we need the cooperation. The government must make sure it happens.

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