Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to contribute to the debate on the Export Control Amendment (Streamlining Administrative Processes) Bill 2022. This bill is vital to our country and highly important to my electorate in the Hunter. The agriculture sector is hugely significant to our nation, and it plays a massive role in the economy back home in the Hunter electorate. Agriculture is part of the backbone of our economy in the Hunter, and there are so many communities who are built on and rely on this industry. We are very lucky to have, in my unbiased view, the best dairy farms and the best cattle farms in Australia, and as a food enthusiast there is no electorate in the country that is better suited to me. I have been lucky enough to have done a fair amount of travelling around Australia and the world in my life. I've tasted dairy products, meat another agricultural products from around the world, and I can honestly say that the people of the Hunter have been gifted with some of the highest-quality and, most importantly, best-tasting products in the world right here in our backyard. I am extremely proud of what we produce in the Hunter, and it brings me even more pride to represent the hardworking farmers who give their lives to producing such world-class products. I want farmers in my electorate to know that this bill will help you get even more reward for your hard work.

Of course, I can't speak on agriculture without giving some special mention to the wine industry. Driving through the Hunter it's impossible to miss the beautiful green vines running through the landscape. These vines grow delicious grapes that eventually are turned into delicious wine. If you don't yet have your hands on some wine from the Hunter, I suggest you do, and, if you need some, just talk to me! I make this point because I will not sit back and allow countries like France and Italy to claim that they have the best wine in the world when the best wine I've ever tasted is in my own electorate of the Hunter. We need to get this wine out to as many countries as we can as quickly as possible. Currently, the top exporter of wine is France. Forgive me if I'm being overly optimistic here, but I reckon that, with the help of this bill, that title is coming to Australia, led, of course, by the mighty Hunter Valley, the home of the best wines and the best vines in the world.

This government wants to help an already booming industry to thrive even more. The agriculture sector has ambitions of becoming a $100 billion industry by 2030. With the support of this government, which is committed to this sector, I'm sure they will reach the goal—there's no doubt about that in my books. This bill is essential to ensuring the target is achievable. This bill will streamline regulation and cut red tape, both of which are critical for growing the Australian agriculture industry's exports and market access. We know that Australia has the best agricultural products in the world, and, as many citizens of Australia have made me the unofficial 'minister of burgers', I think I'm in a good position to speak to the quality of our beef industry, especially when it comes to a nice chunky patty on a bun with lettuce, cheese and tomato. It's delicious, and let me assure you I've had my fair share of those, as you can probably tell.

I think that all countries should have the pleasure of being able to enjoy our agricultural products. That's why it's so important to make it easier to export the products from our agricultural sector. I want as many people as possible around the world to feel the happiness that I do when I feast on a good Aussie steak, so I'm extremely happy that this bill will support the modern export system that will provide a streamline process for exporters and improve delivery of services. This is good for all people around the world. The more people enjoying what we have to offer here in Australia, the better. But, more importantly, this is good for our farmers. Here in Australia it will be a very welcome change for communities in the Hunter, who will be able to get their products to the export market quicker and easier than ever before. These changes just make sense.

The bulk of Australian-grown produce is exported, and farmers rely on an effective regulatory system to assist them in doing so. Export control legislation needs to remain current and fit for purpose. It needs to keep up with the developments in importing country requirements, changing regulatory objectives and industry practice advancements. This is exactly what this bill is going to achieve. This bill will make information-sharing provisions within the export control legislation more flexible. It will allow relevant information to be effectively shared with regulatory partners, exporters and other key stakeholders while maintaining the appropriate control on sharing certain kinds of information—a modern bill for a modern global market, making sure the agricultural sector does not fall behind.

But this bill isn't just about making sure our sector keeps up with its international competitors; it's actually about helping it surge ahead of the pack. It's about making sure that quality Australian produce gets on the plates of our friends and neighbours faster. We already have a strong reputation for high-quality agricultural produce, and this bill is only going to further enhance this reputation by supporting the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to streamline complex administrative and authorisation processes to access and utilise the export control information that it already holds. The improved information-sharing arrangements ensure greater flexibility in tailoring for export control purposes, and will make the export control legislative framework more effective, efficient and future focused.

Deputy Speaker Chesters, you may be asking yourself why we have to do this. The answer is simple: the current act is just not up to scratch; it's just not good enough in supporting an industry working towards becoming a $100 billion industry by 2030. There are inefficiencies in the current act that prevent the sensible sharing of information that may help strengthen Australia's trade position, and this government is here to fix that.

Streamlined information-sharing requirements can assist with rapid delivery of information that can be essential in trade situations. For example, when an importing country may hold a request for further information about a consignment of fresh produce at its port. Instead of being caught up in red tape and unnecessarily complex procedures, this information will be provided with more ease and our friends across the seas can get their hands on our produce even quicker than ever before. And what's better than fresh Aussie meat, fruit, veg and dairy?

Australia has a competitive edge in the international agriculture export market and we need this bill in order to maintain the edge by being able to effectively use and repurpose export control information, which will increase our ability to innovate and make gains from those innovations. The changes that will be implemented through this bill are nothing radical; in fact, the amendments in this bill are consistent with border information-sharing work already occurring across government. It's simply about making sure that our agriculture sector can be exported to more buyers around the world more quickly and more easily.

This is a government who cares about farmers and looks at practical ways to help grow industries, like helping them to make exporting more efficient. This is a government that understands how important the sector is to the country and it is committed to ensuring the high value that Australia places on its agriculture industry is longstanding. That's why we are implementing this bill, to help grow the agricultural industry, to help out our farmers and to help out the country as a whole. This is a simple and practical way to grow the agricultural industry to support it in achieving its goal of becoming a $100 billion industry by 2030. I commend this bill to the House.

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