Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

This is good because we are removing all the tariffs. All the tariffs on dairy are gone, so the people of the South Coast can start getting the same benefits that the people on the North Coast get. We are now exporting more than 17,000 litres of fresh milk a week. These are the sorts of benefits that can happen. We have small cooperatives reaching down the supply chain to get a better return to their farmers, just as we have new investment in southern Queensland—half a billion dollars—going into the dairy industry so that we get a better return for our farmers.

The member for Gilmore understands this because she is a businesswoman. She actually ran a business. She had 40 staff and exported to six countries, so she knows the benefits of free trade agreements and how they help. The member for Gilmore was also on the regional development board. That is interesting because, whilst we were getting the free trade agreement together, what was the other side doing? What could they possibly have been involved with? There were some interesting propositions with the RDA board that should have received more attention, such as the WA goldfields Outback Way priority section upgrade, which was rejected—an upgrade to save people's lives, an upgrade to move exports, an upgrade that would actually have helped regional Australia.

The way we see regional Australia on this side of the House is dark starry nights, furry animals on the road and long distances between towns. But where is regional Australia for the other side? Once they rejected the upgrade, who did get money? They found a regional town called Sydney. And who got $7.3 million? The member for McMahon. What part of regional Australia is Fairfield in these days? Whilst the people of Narrandera could not get youth off the streets, you got your money, didn’t you? I can see the member for Wakefield. He has gone awfully quiet—because you also got money, didn't you? Our Treasurer said that you could not deliver, but you can deliver to one group. You can deliver to yourselves. You look after yourselves, don't you?

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