Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I visited Abbotsleigh Citrus farm and I saw a thriving family business that is 100 per cent Australian owned. It is situated at Wallaville, just off the Bruce Highway, near a town called Gingin, which is inland from Bundaberg. It has been owned by the McMahon and Campbell families since 2003. They have 60,000 trees on 170 hectares and they irrigate it out of the Burnett river. They produce citrus fruit: oranges, mandarines and lemons. They hope to have 20 hectares of blueberry bushes planted by Christmas. There is a huge packing shed and cold rooms to boot.

Abbotsleigh Citrus has become a competitive force within the Australian citrus industry. It is an example of a business that is a large exporter and benefits from Australian free trade agreements. It exports to China, Indonesia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Canada. Owners are excited about their earning potential if we can secure the China Free Trade Agreement. They also see great potential in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP.

Abbotsleigh Citrus is also a big employer of seasonal workers. The owners have praised the government's Seasonal Worker Program, and it is working very well. The program offers valuable training for seasonal workers and access to a reliable, returning workforce for employers like Abbotsleigh. There is a seven-month rotation of workers from these Pacific island countries. They do not settle in to any great degree, but they do come back. They spend a lot of their money back home—whether it be in Tonga or other Pacific islands—and they are only too eager to come back in seven months. Their work skills and work ethic are something to be proud of. Abbotsleigh pays about $4 million per year in wages.

Abbotsleigh is a true self-made success story. Our government is committed to helping businesses like Abbotsleigh. They contribute positively to our local economy and they deserve all the help the government can give them. They are potential employers of refugees, when and if that program becomes available to rural and regional Queensland. You must remember that rural and regional Queensland has a problem maintaining people in the regional areas. Thank you.