Damian Drum (Murray, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. As the Deputy Prime Minister knows, dairy and horticulture are major industries in the Golden Valley region in my electorate of Murray. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on what measures the government has taken to support these vital industries, and is he aware of any threats to these industries?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question and note the importance of backpacker employment and labour in making sure that we harvest the permanent planning in the dairy industry. I note that it is incredibly important that we went into bat for the backpacker industry and backpacker labour. We now have a package coming forward with a 19 per cent tax. This is after consultation with 178 industry groups—welfare groups, unions and labour-hire companies. We invited participation from the general community and got over 1,700 submissions.

The announcement by the coalition of a 19 per cent backpacker tax has been welcomed by the National Farmers' Federation, the Queensland Farmers Federation, Grocon, the Northern Territory Farmers Association, the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association, the Australian Regional Tourism Network and the Western Australian Farmers Federation—just to name a few. We also see that Geoffrey Thompson—a stone fruit and apples company—who employ over 1,000 backpackers a season, right down to the Goodwill family, who employ four or five backpackers, are all wanting this to go—

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Prime Minister—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the member for Hunter have a point of order?

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. The Deputy Prime Minister—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, you will state the point of order.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is in anticipation of a ruling on standing order 77.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That does not apply.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, the Deputy Prime Minister is discussing a new backpacker tax—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hunter will resume his seat. That was a frivolous point of order. It was an inventive try, but it was a frivolous point of order nonetheless.

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

You have to give the member for Hunter 10 out of 10 for trying to get a question in anyhow. It is as close as we will get.

Once upon a time the Labor Party actually supported a resolution on this. In fact, the members for McMahon, Hunter and Grayndler—

Mr Brian Mitchell interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lyons has been warned. He is continually interjecting. He can leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Lyons then left the chamber—

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

I seem to get rid of one a day, so it is going well!

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton is about to be next.

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

We have seen the members for McMahon, Hunter and Grayndler each personally saying that Labor will not countenance this uncertainty dragging on for another seven weeks, let alone seven months. Well, they could fix this in seven seconds if they wished to, because the people holding up this issue from being resolved now are the Australian Labor Party. The member for Bass, the member for Braddon and the member for Lyons—who is no longer here—have been taking farmers around this building, saying that they will see this issue resolved. But now who is holding it up? It is the Australian Labor Party. The other side are so good at playing politics. They are so good at creating a fight. They are not good at creating resolutions.

This is just like what those opposite are doing on the plebiscite. They just want the fight; they never want the resolution. The member for Maribyrnong might be wearing an orange tie, but he should get a gold tie for playing politics! Why don't they make the commitment right now? Why don't they make the commitment that they will support us in getting the backpacker tax finalised right now?