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

It has to be built up to. We turn off about eight million head a year. All of this means that, under our government, we have record cattle prices. We have also had record sheep prices. We have the biggest turnaround in soft commodity prices in the history of our nation.

There are some threats to this, and one of the big threats to this, of course, is the quibbling by the opposition on the free trade agreement with China. This free trade agreement with China would bring about a 10 per cent reduction in live animal tariffs, a 12 to 25 per cent reduction in meat and offal tariffs and a 10 to 20 per cent reduction in dairy tariffs. These are the threats to Central Queensland; these are the threats to Australia. If we do not get on with the business and deliver this outcome, there is a real threat to the income stream of all Australians—and especially the people of Central Queensland. On top of that, I have to say that the idea of bringing back the carbon tax is just an anathema. (Time expired)

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