Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The recovery continues in my electorate of Capricornia following the devastating impact of Cyclone Marcia on 20 February. It impacted on primary producers, small business and the general community in a big way and it will take a long time yet to recover. I updated the House earlier in the week on what is happening on the ground during this trying time.

However, despite this period of setback, there are some positive things ahead for our community to look forward to and to focus on in the coming months. One of them is Beef Australia 2015. Beef Australia is our nation's premier cattle industry expo, showcasing the Australian industry to the world. The event is held every three years in Rockhampton, considered as Australia's beef capital. This year Beef Australia will run from 4 to 9 May.

As our region recovers from the economic impact of Cyclone Marcia, Beef Australia will be a fiscal shot in the arm for the central Queensland economy. The event attracts more than 85,000 visitors from at least 25 countries. These people will inject millions of dollars into the hotel, accommodation and hospitality sector, transport, tourism and many other businesses that make up our economy. Beef Australia also provides economic spin-offs for Australian beef producers, processors and consumers.

That is why our coalition government is proud to have delivered on a key election commitment to provide $2.5 million in funding to Beef Australia 2015. Our direct support of Beef Australia 2015 shows that our government is committed to building strong rural and regional communities. It is, after all, industries from rural and regional Australia that produce the bulk of export commodities that contribute to Australia's GDP.

Let me focus on our beef sector as an example. As a nation, we farm about 31 million head of cattle. When it comes to beef production, we punch above our weight. According to data from Meat and Livestock Australia, Australia is one of the world's most efficient producers of cattle. In terms of consumer expenditure and export value, the off-farm value of our beef and cattle industry is $12.75 billion. MLA tells us that Australia has four per cent of the world cattle inventory, behind massively populated countries such as India, Brazil and China, and we are the third largest beef exporter in the world.

In the future, we hope that the position of our beef sector on the world stage will strengthen further with recent free trade deals. In the past year our government, the Liberal-National coalition government, has worked hard to provide our beef sector with new advantages by negotiating free trade deals with South Korea, Japan and China. Negotiations such as those with Japan started back in 2007 under the Howard government and now mean a big boost for beef exports over the coming years. Beef is our biggest agriculture export to Japan, worth about $1.4 billion last year. Over time, our new free trade pact will ultimately halve the hefty 38.5 per cent tariff on Aussie beef entering Japan. Federal modelling shows that the cut in tariffs would deliver gains to the industry of between about $300 million and $400 million a year. Significantly for the Capricornia beef sector, it gives us a better advantage over the United States, one of central Queensland's fiercest beef competitors.

The CEO of Beef Australia, Denis Cox, reports that Beef Australia 2015 in Rockhampton will feature trade show expos promoting more than 500 businesses, host five-star beef restaurants, showcase 4,500 cattle from over 30 breeds, and stage a beef industry symposium featuring five key international speakers, including Washington-based Gary Johnson, the senior director of strategic sourcing and sustainability with the McDonald's fast food corporation.

In terms of trade, one unique aspect of Beef Australia is a free business-matching program called Handshakes, provided with help from the Australian Trade Commission. Handshakes introduces international agribusiness to Australian livestock specialists to help Australia to explore future business prospects. So I urge everyone to come up to central Queensland, to experience the taste of our wonderful beef up there in May and to experience Beef 2015.