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 Deputy Prime Minister update the House on how the government is ensuring the continued growth in Australia's cattle industry? Is the Deputy Prime Minister aware of any threats in this industry and the thousands of hardworking Australians it employs, including cold storage operators in Queensland?

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. She would know more than most about the cattle industry. The cattle industry employs up to 8,000 people in her area. In Rockhampton and the Fitzroy region there are about 2.4 million cattle, and beef cattle accounts for about 75 per cent of all farms. We see that beef cattle is forecast to top $12.5 billion out of our record $60 billion worth of agricultural production this year. We will see that $8.3 billion worth of that production go overseas; that is almost double what it was under the Labor Party, who were absolutely hopeless as far as the cattle industry was concerned.

We are supporting not only the cattle industry but the Beef Expo in Rockhampton—

Mr Champion interjecting—

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

The member for Wakefield.

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

which is the beef capital of Queensland and we could argue about whether it is the beef capital of Australia. What is important is that this week, the member for Capricornia will be pleased to know, in negotiations with the Indonesians we have managed to increase cattle in the live-cattle trade from 350 kilograms to 450 kilograms. This means an extra hundred kilograms and, at around $3-plus a kilogram, it means for each beast the farmer will be getting an extra $300 or $320 a head. That is a great outcome. We have also increased the age limit so that they go from 30 months up to 48 months—so up to four years. This is another good outcome because it gives a wider range of cattle that is available for live-export trade. This is in addition to what we are doing with the permit system—taking it from four months to 12 months. This is all part of the negotiations done by the coalition.

In the same breath we have negotiated reductions in the sugar tariff—I know the member for Dawson is very interested in that—from eight per cent down to five per cent. You do these things because you are in government but there are definitely some threats.

Probably one of the biggest problems in running an abattoir is labour and electricity costs. On electricity costs the Australian Labor Party is trying to mimic what is happening in South Australia for the whole nation. This is disastrous. The member for Capricornia would know that with international organisations such as JBS Swift and Cargills, when they go to expand production, they look at the costs of imports such as electricity.

It is amazing that the Labor Party does not seem to stand up for labourers any more. They do not have any labourers. I do not believe, member for Capricornia, that one meatworker resides on the Labor Party benches. They just do not exist. They are university students or they are union officials but they are not actually workers. They have never actually done a day's work—not a day's work. They have been clerks or union officials. He is one and he has never done a day's work.

Dr Mike Kelly interjecting—

Ms Husar interjecting—

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

The Deputy Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Wakefield is not hearing me warn him, yet again. The member for Eden-Monaro will cease interjecting. The member for Lindsay will leave under 94(a). I can only say it so often.

The member for Lindsay then left the chamber.