Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to represent the views of the families and communities in my electorate of Maranoa who have long been part of Australia’s wheat-growing industry. They are disappointed with the Labor government, particularly the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Prime Minister, and their undemocratic approach to ramming through legislation, particularly in relation to the wheat industry, before this parliament rises at the end of June. There has not been sufficient time to debate this legislation. I am forced today to rise in this adjournment debate to make a contribution and also speak on behalf of my constituent wheat growers in Maranoa.

I am very proud of the contributions that have been made by people in the electorate of Maranoa to this great Australian industry. In fact, three of the last four chairmen of the Australian Wheat Board—the late Les Price, Clinton Condon and the current serving chairman of the Australian Wheat Board, Brendan Stewart—are still growing or have grown wheat in my electorate. I salute their contribution to this great Australian industry, their steering of the industry over many decades through very difficult times and also their negotiating of opportunities into corrupt world markets.

The government clearly has not listened to what Australian wheat growers want. Polls conducted across the length and breadth of the wheat industry show that 80 per cent of wheat growers support a grower owned and controlled single-desk arrangement. This arrangement would have and has in the past maximised returns for Australian wheat growers families. Wheat growers of Australia have for decades had to sell into corrupt wheat markets in the international arena. Very little has changed. The other major countries as producers such as the United States and Europe still subsidise their domestic production of wheat, distorting international prices and the supply and demand signals.

While the coalition was in government negotiating with WTO through the Doha Round, these major wheat subsidising countries always wanted Australia to end the single-desk arrangements. We as a coalition always held out against that because we were not prepared to give away a very significant bargaining chip while those countries would not reform their own production and get rid of their subsidising and distorting ways of producing wheat in their countries. Unlike the previous National-Liberal government—we represent the majority of wheat farmers—the Labor government is city-centric and it is certainly ignorant judging its actions in relation to this bill of the needs of the bush. I have to say that the front bench is now dominated by ex-union officials, who I know through their mates blockaded many rural exports including the live sheep trade and prevented farmers from maximising their returns in relation to the sheep industry and the live sheep trade. We also know of their actions in relation to containers across the ports in the past. So that is one of the major problems that the wheat industry is going to have to confront in the future whilst this front bench is dominate by ex-union officials.

The other thing that concerns me is that this government has committed some $1.15 million to conduct so-called information sessions to inform growers of these far-ranging and also historic changes. How pathetic. We have a Prime Minister who has recently announced $16 million to support the football federation’s bid for the 2018 World Cup soccer—$16 million for something that might happen in 2018 or 2020 and $1.5 million to provide information to the wheat industry of Australia, which provides some $3 billion to $4 billion annually in export income and jobs right across rural and regional Australia. What a pathetic effort from a minister and a Labor government—pathetic.

Can I just say, not only are Australian wheat farmers generous; they are also smart. They are dedicated to doing what they do best. I am proud I represent these people. This arrogant and out-of-touch citycentric government has failed to listen to what wheat growers want, which is a grower-owned single desk. That was their first choice and they voted that way.

Also, I am proud that in my own electorate of Maranoa next week we are going to see the Coggan family of Meandarra raising money for heart and lung transplant research. They hope to establish a record for the Guinness Book of Records by planting in one hour with one tractor what would have been planted in one day with one tractor. I am looking forward to hopefully being able to join them when they set that new record. (Time expired)