David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cowper for his question. I acknowledge the contribution that the Cowper electorate makes to agriculture, the rich and proud history of agriculture in the Cowper district and how it is going to contribute to the resilience and the future of agriculture in meeting its $100 billion goal by 2030. I heard as I went around the electorate of Cowper and from listening to industry leaders that they want certainty—they want certainty in policy formation and execution, particularly in areas that are so important to Australian farmers at the moment, such as drought and live trade.

Let's not forget the reckless actions of those opposite, who, because of a television show, banned live trade to Indonesia overnight. That trashed our relationship with our nearest and best neighbour. It has taken 10 years of policy formation and execution to rebuild that relationship to the point where we have now been able to sign a free trade agreement with Indonesia. That will actually benefit beef farmers and broader agriculture. That is because of the calm and methodical way in which this government has undertaken its policy formation, ensuring that we give certainty not just to our farmers but to our international partners. That's what calm, methodical government is about. It's also about the drought.

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