Andrew Gee (Calare, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move amendments (1) and (2), as circulated in my name, together:

(1) Clause 3, page 4 (after line 30), after subparagraph (c)(iv), insert:

(iva) securing and further developing domestic food processing and agriculture industries; and

(2) Clause 10, page 13 (after line 10), after subparagraph (3)(a)(iv), insert:

(iva) securing and further developing domestic food processing and agriculture industries; and

I have moved these amendments because I believe that this bill could be of much greater benefit to our nation, and, in particular, country Australia, if areas of priority were expanded to include food processing and agriculture. We saw during COVID how vulnerable nations were when their supply chains were cut and put at risk. Food security must be a key priority of our country, and food processing is one area in which Australia does have a very strong competitive advantage. We've heard about that, time and time again in this debate—competitive advantage. Our processing plants are in close proximity to our primary producers, and it's one area of our economy which requires strong support.

I mentioned in this House, on a previous occasion, the enormous food processing industries that are operating in the Central West, from Chiko Rolls at Bathurst and canola oil at Manildra to Tic Tacs and Nutella at Lithgow. Our area, in the Central West of New South Wales, is a powerhouse of food processing, and it is of concern to me that this sector has been inexplicably overlooked in this legislation. Food processing needs all the support it can get. Our manufacturers need all the support they can get. They're a huge employer in our area, and it really surprises me that food processing has not been identified as a key area of national priority and support. This package will deliver tens of billions of dollars, but none of it will go to ensuring that Australia has food security and the associated jobs that go with it. It's a glaring oversight of this bill.

Another glaring oversight of this bill is the lack of support for agriculture. The wealth of our nation has to be based on production. Australia has the best produce in the world. The food basket of our country is located in regional Australia and, in particular, in central western New South Wales, and it defies belief that the agriculture sector has not been identified as an area of priority for this bill. The gross value of agricultural production has increased by 51 per cent in the past 20 years to $94.3 billion in 2022-23, and, if you look back to the global financial crisis and the crisis brought on by the pandemic, you will see that one of the key sectors which carried us through was agriculture. It is a vital plank in the economic foundations of this country, and we must support it.

There are some exciting developments happening in agriculture, which I've previously outlined for this House and which the member for Kennedy enthusiastically endorsed, including initiatives that benefit both farmers and the environment, such as the conversion of atmospheric CO2 to soil carbon, which not only increases yield but allows farmers to make an extra dollar as well. So it's highly surprising that agriculture has not been a part of the conversation surrounding this bill. Our farmers and our food processors deserve much better, as do the supply chains that support them.

Food processing and agriculture need to be areas of priority for this bill and for the billions of dollars that it will deliver, and it will be very disappointing if these key amendments aren't supported. I'm reserving my position on the bill until I hear what the Treasurer has to say, but, if the answer is that maybe food processing and agriculture can be included sometime in the future, that would be very disappointing and would be a real shame. We need to pin the colours to the mast now and come out and emphatically back agriculture and food processing. Let's not wait. Let's not think about it. Let's back these amendments and get it done now.

To members of the Liberal and National parties, I would say to you: back these amendments. Tomorrow there are going to be farmers right here in Canberra from all over the country, so I ask you to stand up for them, stand up for our food processing industries and support these amendments. I urge all members of this place to stand up for agriculture and stand up for our food processors. I also urge all members of this House to stand up for the men and women who feed and clothe our nation and the world. I urge all members of this House to back these amendments and support agriculture and food processing in regional Australia.

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