Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

I rise to speak on the motion by the member for Murray, and I am happy to applaud with her the efforts of Australian farmers. I say that not as someone with a farming background; I am the son of a butcher—who did actually end up going back onto the land. But all Australians need to be connected to a farmer. Whilst I have an inner-city seat, that includes Brisbane's fresh food markets at Rocklea—which I will touch on later—so I feel that there is a direct connection with the farmers.

No-one would quibble about the difficulties faced by all Australian farmers. I come from St George in Western Queensland. At the moment, some people have had some rain, but those never-ending droughts, the plagues of crop-eating insects, our harsh climate, and climate change are making long-term adjustments necessary. Farming is a particularly daunting task. Add to that the isolation, the ageing of our farmers, and some particular challenges going forward for the bush communities that support farmers, and also for the farmers themselves and their families. I was talking to a friend of mine, Wayne Long, out in St George on the weekend. He works on a cotton farm. He was saying that he is just waiting to see whether the water would flow through, to see what water was purchased, and to see—whilst they have put crops in—whether they would have enough water to irrigate. Good luck to Wayne and to all those waiting for that water to come.

We know that Australian farmers are skilled, and particularly intelligent and resilient. The importance of looking after our land is reflected by the United Nations General Assembly declaring this year the International Year of Soils. Coming from the western edge of the Darling Downs—with, I would argue, the best soil in Australia—some might argue in the world—I believe it is important that we recognise the International Year of Soils, that we raise awareness about the profound importance of soil for human life, and that we educate the public about the crucial role that soil plays in food security. As our world population increases it will be even more important to keep our soil healthy and productive.

The importance of our agricultural sector cannot be overstated when it comes to our economy. It contributes three per cent to Australia's GDP just from the farm gate, and when value-adding processes after the food leaves the farm gate are taken into account then the contribution to GDP averages out at about 12 per cent, or $155 billion. As the son of a butcher, I would love to see that increase, particularly when it comes to sending packaged meat overseas rather than live exports if possible. The gross value of farm production is forecast to increase by eight per cent in 2015-16. I would like to see that dining revolution take place. I know that Australia can be, if not the food bowl, certainly a very well-stocked delicatessen. Be it produce from Tasmania, the Northern Territory or Western Australia, there foods that we can send into that growing middle class in Asia.

Our natural resources are vital to sustain the agricultural sector. Although farmers bear the brunt of protecting those resources as the stewards of the land, it is up to all of us to do our bit to protect our valuable natural assets. There are approximately 134,000 farm businesses in Australia. Each farmer produces enough food to feed 600 people; 150 of them are Australian and 450 live overseas. Australian farmers produce almost 93 per cent of Australia's daily domestic food supply.

Obviously, as the member for an inner city electorate, I know there are a few cattle and sheep at the Corinda State High School farm and some crops that they produce. I know that the Brisbane Produce Market, one of the six central markets in Australia, plays an important role in distributing food. The central markets in Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth are a huge industry, turning over $7 billion a year, and throughout Australia these markets employ 17,500 people. Brisbane Markets is my biggest employer, employing 4,000 people, not to mention the transport and other contracts. Brisbane Markets turns over $1 billion a year. Obviously it is vital to our farmers that we look after fresh fruit and vegetables, and I am sure Andrew Young, the CEO of Brisbane Markets, will be making sure the government knows that they should not bring in a GST on fresh fruit and vegetables.

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