Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Income Tax Rates Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Reform) Bill 2016. I love the passion of the member for Hunter, the shadow minister for agriculture. It is refreshing to see someone on the other side of the chamber who has such a passion for agriculture. I will commend him for that. I think back to the time, as a young farmer walking around my farming 2007, when the Labor Party failed to even introduce a pre-election commitment around agriculture at all. In 2010 the agriculture minister at the time put together an A4, one-sided page—he did not even use both sides of the paper when it came to their agricultural policy. So I commend the shadow minister for agriculture, because I genuinely believe that he cares about the portfolio and has a passion, which is something that we have not seen in the past.

If I look back at the great achievement over the last number of years that has really created wealth in my patch, it has been the free trade agreements with China, Korea and Japan. To give you an example, it was not that long ago that we were getting $18 for box of table grapes. Last season we were up to $46 because the Japanese and Chinese fought with one another over trying to buy our great products. In a week and a half's time I will be in Beijing at the Beijing fruit and veg festival, launching nectarines into China, which has been fantastic, with some really good stuff.

But there are things that need to happen if we are going to capitalise on the free trade agreements. The free trade agreements are simply an opportunity. The decisions we make are whether these opportunities become a reality and become wealth for the country.

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