Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The first half of the member for Capricornia's motion is actually quite sound. Agriculture certainly is of vital importance to Australia, and the sector requires a government that works actively to support it. I say that having grown up on farms in Mildura and seeing firsthand both the immense work that goes into Australian agriculture and the significant value that comes from that effort not just economically, locally and across the nation, but also socially.

The member for Capricornia would know quite well that the work of farmers and their families builds communities from the ground up, and the impact has become a significant piece of the Australian story. My own electorate of Spence, with its own periurban localities, is a prime example of the holistic value of agriculture. The Northern Adelaide Plains Food Cluster, which includes areas such as Virginia, Angle Vale and Gawler Belt, produces approximately 200,000 tonnes of fresh produce and over $300 million in farm gate value every year. That is a third of South Australia's overall agricultural production. This cluster has become a valuable community group in itself. It is one that I continue to engage with, and their importance cannot be understated.

The member for Capricornia and I, and, indeed, all of my Labor colleagues, can definitely agree on the significance of agriculture. It then begs the question: why does the member for Capricornia and the rest of her colleagues proceed to consistently attack policy to support the sector? The member states in the motion that farmers are facing increased pressure due to action taken by the federal government. This simply isn't inaccurate. In fact, the reality of the situation is quite the opposite. This is a government working to lift pressure from the backs of farmers, regardless of the opposition's refusal to support or even acknowledge these efforts—which is a shame. We're delivering much-needed support the sector, having engaged with a variety of farmers and bodies across Australian agriculture to inform our approach. That includes biosecurity funding, totalling more than $1 billion, to continue Australia's world-leading record in this space and ensure the $84 billion agricultural industry continues to grow.

It is no accident that Australia remains the only continent free from the avian influenza H5N1. We invested another $95 million last month to help keep things that way, further boosting the stability of Australian agriculture. This government is also opening the doors to new trade opportunities across the world—in China, India, Thailand, the UAE and more—after a decade of neglect towards our trade relationships by those opposite. As a result, our farmers are now working within the most diversified export market in Australian history, including 169 countries in the last financial year, achieved under this Labor government. In all, we've delivered over $3 billion of extra funding to the agricultural sector since coming to office in 2022.

Better still, that funding is not only throwing much-needed government weight behind farmers when they need it most but working to fight the cost of living across this country. It is applying downward pressure on food prices in shops by backing farmers on the land and working to improve their productivity because, as a Labor government, we know that a healthy agricultural sector in Australia is what helps make fresh produce more affordable when it reaches the consumer. That's why we're committed to helping grow the value of Australian agriculture to $100 billion by 2030. It's already projected to reach over $86 billion by the end of this financial year.

To link higher food prices in this country to government support that's been actively delivered to the agricultural sector, as the member for Capricornia is trying to do, just doesn't stack up. Not only does it turn Australian agriculture into a numbers game, to be won or lost by the opposition; that motion also works against the interests of farmers, as well as the rest of Australia, given our nation's dependence, both in the regions and in the cities, on their efforts. The Labor government is getting on with the job, providing farmers the support needed to whether difficult economic conditions. The opposition is choosing to use those conditions to build a narrative, instead of offering solutions. I thank the house.

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