Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

My late father, Lance, left school after his primary school years and went straight to the farm. I can remember, when I came along and Dad took me up to the paddock, we used to pour chemicals and liquids into water in the boom sprayer and then make sure we did everything we could to get the highest yield. He probably didn't take all the necessary measures, because they weren't in place at the time and he just didn't know what he didn't know. Of course, these days farming is a lot different. Farmers kit up properly when mixing chemicals. They do everything they can to place safety first. My father placed safety first too, but times were different. Times were way different.

We certainly didn't get the yields then that we are getting now. We are getting the yields now from grain because of the wonderful steps we've taken in technology and science, and we thank the universities and we thank our farmers for what they have done to increase production. And we should thank our farmers three times a day every day. Every time we tuck our knees under the table to eat, we should be applauding and lauding our farmers' work.

Our farmers are the best in the world. They're the best environmentalists in the world. What they don't need is more regulation. What they don't need is somebody coming down on top of them and telling them that they've got to dilute this and got to dilute that, because what will happen, if we go down the path that some are suggesting, is that we will make the weeds resistant to the various chemicals we spray on them—substances we use to gain higher yields—and we can't have that.

This is a very good motion, and it wouldn't be brought forward by no less than the shadow assistant minister for regional health if it weren't a good cause. Paraquat and diquat have been used safely for more than three decades. They're presently used to knock down weeds which have been weakened first with an application of Roundup herbicide.

I appreciate the ABC has gone out on a limb on this. Sometimes we see our national broadcaster do this sort of thing in this sort of way and then use Country Hour and Landline to push it and promote it. But even the member for Lyons just said that, as it stands, based on current evidence, there is no link—no link whatsoever—between paraquat and Parkinson's disease, but there is an obligation to listen to the science if such evidence presents itself. There is. The member for Mallee understands that. She grasps it. She has a history of making sure that the people she represents come first, and this is why she has brought this important motion to the parliament.

It is important that farmers adhere to the safety precautions when using any herbicides. My father did in his own way. I know the member for Parkes, a farmer of many decades experience, also does. When used within these guidelines, any risks associated are reduced.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry must listen to all farmers on this issue, not just those from perhaps a show or a radio program broadcast by the ABC. We saw what happened last time Labor did this, with live cattle. In a knee-jerk response to a program in June 2011—I remember it well—we just cut the cattle trade. We didn't tell Indonesia at the time; they found out later. But we cut the cattle trade. It was the worst decision in agriculture—the worst decision up until they decided to stop live sheep exports.

This is an attack on farmers. Make no mistake; it always is. It's an attack on those people who produce the finest food and the best fibre in all of the world. These decisions need to be made holistically, taking in the evidence from farmers and, most importantly, the science, and weighing up the risks and benefits to primary producers and how it would affect the production of the top-quality food and fibre I mentioned for which, as I also mentioned, Australia is renowned. The APVMA—the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority—is reviewing the approved usage levels of paraquat and diquat in Australia, and that is imminently and perfectly sensible. Let's leave it to the experts. Let's not leave it to the ABC, let's not leave it to Labor trying to score political points. Let's leave it to the experts. Let's make sure we put every provision in place for our farmers to increase their yields, to do what they've always done in the best possible way and to not rush to stupid, knee-jerk, meaningless responses, the only benefit of which and the only winners of which will be our weeds.

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