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

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Will the minister update the House on how the live cattle trade is supporting jobs in regional communities such as Rockhampton? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches that would stifle opportunities for hardworking Australians?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question, and might I congratulate her on the hard work that has been done making sure that we have a better outcome for those proximate to the Shoalwater Bay Defence facilities. We now have made sure that the only purchases that will happen will be voluntary. That goes to show a government that listens, a government that is not arrogant and a government that clearly understands the issues that are there.

But it is very important to also understand what has happened in the live cattle trade. I am pleased to tell the House that since 2011-12 we have doubled the amount of live cattle exports and tripled the value. Not only are we selling more; we are getting more for them. This is bringing real money back into an economy which, for the first time, will produce in excess of $60 billion in agricultural production for our nation. This is the difference that good policy makes, when we open up nine new live animal export destinations—Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, Cambodia, Thailand, Lebanon, Mexico, the US and China.

I am happy to also say we are about to have our first sea shipment, which will leave from Portland, Victoria, from the seat of Wannon for China. This is all part of the process of how we are making the business of our nation work in a better way. We are making the business so the money comes back into our nation. We are making it so that families get a better return through the farm gate. It is actually happening. It is actually happening that we have record prices in meat sheep. It is actually happening that we are getting a turnaround in the wool market and that we have had record prices in cattle. It is actually happening that we are getting record prices in pork. We have a turnaround in so many of our lines, all the way through to wine and tropical fruits because this is a government that is hard at work delivering a better outcome.

And there are policies out there that could stifle all this. I suppose one of the first ones—and the member for Flynn would be very interested in this—is the Labor Party policy for a 50 per cent renewable target. A 50 per cent renewable target to the working men and women at the Boyne smelter would absolutely crucify them. The trouble with the Labor Party these days is they do not have many people who have actually done any labour. The trouble with the Labor Party these days is they are fighting a battle, not for the working men and women of Australia, but they are fighting a battle for Annandale. We have the 'Angel of Annandale' on the other side of the chamber here, in the suit last worn by Barry Gibb by the looks of things, and he is fighting a battle up and down Trafalgar Street, and up and down Johnson Street. He is not looking after what we want to deliver: cheaper power.

We are not the party that is scared of talking about new coal-fired powered stations. So we have to ask: does the member for Shortland's constituents understand your position about what is going to happen with their jobs, what is going to happen to the jobs in the Hunter Valley? Does the member for Hunter understand what his policy means for jobs for the people in the Hunter, and for the people in Victoria? (Time expired)