David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Will the minister explain to the House how the coalition government's support for agriculture is boosting jobs and growth in my electorate and around the whole country?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. Might I say that even in the seat of Lyne we are doing exceptional work in making sure that we boost the export returns for agriculture. That is no better seen than in the wine industry at Cassegrain Wines. I was up there only recently. I met with John Cassegrain, Alex Cassegrain, Jim Mobbs from Bago Vineyards in Port Macquarie, Scott Wright from Wright Robertson at Glencoe in New England and John Drayton—and you should be interested in that—from Drayton Wines in Pokolbin.

An honourable member: Did you try the wine?

The wines were exceptional. Cassegrain's wines have recently won a number of awards, and this underpins jobs and growth in the Port Macquarie area. They have won gold, silver and bronze industry awards in the 2015 Japanese International Wine Challenge. They won a gold medal for their 2011 reserve shiraz, a bronze medal for their 2014 fromenteau reserve chardonnay and gold medals in the Wine Showcase magazine for their riesling and verdelhos.

It is quite clear that, as we turn around the wine industry with the industry with international conditions getting a better return, there are going to be more jobs, but it is not just there. It is also very important on this day when we are referring to closing the gap—and you might be interested in this—how we are assisting those in the Aboriginal cattle industry to close the gap for their people. Having exported more than three million head of cattle since we have come to government we are underpinning the jobs—jobs you can see at the Roebuck export yards at Broome, with Aboriginal people working on Aboriginal land doing the jobs that they want to do, making money by the sweat of their own brow in their own industry. They are closing their own gap, not having to rely on other people to close the gap for them. All we do is make sure we make the way clear so that they can make the money that they deserve.

They are closing the gap also at Delta Downs in the gulf with Freddie Pascoe, with about 60,000 head of cattle. They are making real money. They are getting real social advancement for their people. All that we do is make the way clear so they can make their own money in their own industry on their own land. They are closing the gap also with Harry Curtain and the East Kimberley Cattle Company. Harry Curtain is driving towards 40,000 head of cattle and improving the genetics. Aboriginal people are working on Aboriginal land doing the jobs that they want to do. They are closing their own gap and advancing their own industry, with people employed in fencing and all the other industries that are manifest in this field of endeavour. We are working with the Aboriginals at closing their own social gap by further investment in Indigenous rangers in the north. It is through agriculture that so many people in the Aboriginal field are closing the gap. It is through work in agriculture that we are helping this nation and the Aboriginal people close the social — (Time expired)