Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Franklin is right about one thing: that there really needs to be a bipartisan, or maybe a multipartisan, approach to the Tasmanian economy. We would make more progress. It is refreshing though, to see a consensus of sorts this morning.

I am sure we would all agree that agriculture is vitally important to Tasmania. In some ways, it is our mining boom. When we look forward, into the future and at what is happening the rest of the world, there is an endless appetite for the wonderful produce of our home state. In particular, as the world becomes more affluent, and as the middle class grows, it will be our mining boom. So it is good to see that some very positive things have been done to capitalise on that mining boom. The irrigation work is first-rate, and that will pay big dividends over time. So too, the $202.9 million in the budget to assist international exporters is a good thing, and I applaud the government for going down that path; I want to see more, but that is a good first step. I have got to give a plug for my neighbours, the Wolfe brothers, who live across the road. The Wolfe brothers are famous in southern Tasmania for the quality of their berries and other fruits—undoubtedly the best berry farmers in the state—however, we are kidding ourselves if we think the job is done or almost done, because there are so many other things that we can do in this place to let Tasmanian farmers realise their potential. There are so many environmental and commercial risks that we have within our power to address.

One environmental threat is fracking. To the state government's credit, they have put in place another moratorium on fracking, but we really need a permanent ban in Tasmania. And I also say to the federal government: we need a permanent ban across the whole country. There is widespread concern about the way it tramples on farmers' rights, the way it contaminates water, the way it has gone wrong overseas. One thing we could do in this place is put a permanent ban on fracking. Another thing we could do in this place is put a permanent ban on oversized freezer factory vessels. The fact is that the super trawler Geelong Star is another thing that puts Tasmania's reputation at risk.

There are so many commercial threats. I notice the member for Braddon has made much of the fact of the government's free trade agreements. That is all well and good, but it does appear that the TPP still includes investor-state dispute resolution provisions. That is a threat to Tasmania. What happens if Monsanto takes the Tasmanian government to court over our GM-free status? That would put our GM-free status at risk. That is a commercial threat.

I hope everyone would agree there is still so much more we can do on Bass Strait too. I have given credit to the government—$202.9 million to assist international exporters—but, frankly, the job will not be done until we have an effective subsidy for all people, vehicles and freight in and out of the state to bring the cost of crossing Bass Strait down to the cost of moving a similar distance on the mainland. That is what is needed, and until we achieve that we will not have cracked Bass Strait.

I tell you what the federal government could do, and I was pleased that the Prime Minister spoke positively about this when I asked a question of him the other day in the House, either it or the state government has to take the Victorian government to task over the port licence fee. The fact is the Victorian government requires the Port of Melbourne to pay $75 million a year to the Victorian state government as a port licence fee—and it is indexed, so it is going up. That is clearly a tax on interstate trade when money is recouped from any goods in and out of that state to or from Tasmania. So until the federal government or the Tasmanian state government—two Liberal governments—muscle up and are prepared to deal with this, there will still be this unconstitutional tax on interstate trade. I am talking about the Tasmanian state government needing to take the Victorian government to court. Or perhaps the federal government could intervene, so there is another role.

Yes, I have given credit where it is due—I try to do that—but I have also laid out some serious threats and risks to the Tasmanian rural sector, which we have within our power to address: ban fracking, ban super trawlers, get rid of investor-state dispute resolution provisions from the TPP and fix Bass Strait. Those are the sorts of things we must do if we are to unlock the potential in our great state, and in particular our great rural sector. (Time expired)

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