David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mallee for her question and her commitment to Australian agriculture. The federal government made a further commitment to Australian agriculture today, in helping it not only reduce its emissions but increase its productivity. Since 2005, the Australian agricultural and land sector have reduced their emissions by over 55 per cent but have, in fact, more than doubled their production over that period while doing it. That is a significant achievement for a partnership between the federal government and the agricultural sector using science and technology to increase productivity and profitability and reduce emissions.

We're complementing that further with the technology roadmap and with our stewardship program. We are the first country in the world able to measure biodiversity. So we are adding to the carbon-farming model that has been put out there to support those farmers—to not only carbon abate but also to get a payment through a voluntary market for the improvement in biodiversity. This is a measurement that the world now sees as intellectual property that this country owns, because of the investment that the agricultural sector and the federal government have made—a $66 million investment through our stewardship program.

We're also making sure that they can market their products—their beef, their sheep—with a sustainability brand, a seal, that says: this has been produced in the most sustainable way, improving biodiversity and abating carbon. That's a world first. And that's not about taking away productive landscape but is about rejuvenating those parts of the landscape that are costing farmers money, just using common sense.

We're also working with our innovation partners, like Meat & Livestock Australia. The red meat sector have reduced their emissions by 53 per cent since 2005, and they're planning to double the output of red meat profitability over the next decade while reducing to a net zero emissions target. And they're doing that with the science of feed supplements—they go to seaweeds and legumes that will reduce methane emissions—and genetics and soil carbon. We've made a $200 million investment through our National Soil Strategy to be able to measure soil carbon more accurately. The energy minister has also announced a $36 million science challenge to have the best and brightest in the world right here in Australia develop a credible test for under $3 a hectare. The over 90 million hectares of Australian agricultural landscape can play a part in abating carbon while increasing productivity. While supporting over 330,000 Australians in agriculture, building on their jobs, building the productivity and profitability of those farms, it can play a significant part in reducing our emissions, living up to our international commitments. This technology roadmap is not just about a more sustainable agricultural sector; it's also about a more profitable one.

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