Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's your fault, Ed!

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My bad! It's my fault. I asked for him.

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

The member for Page can resume his seat.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm gone!

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

The member for Chifley is a regular interjector.

Mr Husic interjecting—

You are going to be doing whatever you are doing back in your office in a second. I am going to ask the member for Page to repeat his question. I think I have made it pretty clear there are a number of people who have been warned. There is also a number of regular customers, and one of them is pointing now. Yes, Member for Moreton, I will have no hesitation—

Mr Perrett interjecting—

You can just leave now. I am addressing the House. It will make it much quicker. Just leave now under 94(a).

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He was yelling the entire time!

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

The member for Morton will leave immediately!

The member for Morton then left the chamber.

The member for Page can begin his question again.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Will the Deputy Prime Minister outline to the House how the Australian agriculture sector is driving growth in the economy? What does this mean for the horticulture sector, particularly for expanding businesses like Mountain Blue Farms in my electorate of Page? Is the Deputy Prime Minister aware of any threats to the sector and the thousands of hardworking regional Australians it employs?

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 that in his electorate the blueberry sector has had a record harvest of 11,000 tonnes, worth $218 million, in that sector of our economy. Of course it is part of what has been an incredible result for Australia. We had 1.1 per cent GDP for the last quarter, and no sector has contributed more than agriculture. We have been working hard on this side of the House: we now have record beef prices, record meat sheep prices. In fact, even our wool prices have never been higher since 1987 or 1988. We have a turnaround in contracts for wine, new markets. All these things are now contributing and are assisting the 322,000-plus people who are directly employed by agriculture. And you can see it in a seminal way in a B-double that you would take to Roma, which is in Queensland. At the start, when the Labor Party was in, you would get about $60,000 for it. Now you get about $90,000-plus for it—an absolute increase in people's standard of living. And this has been supported by three free trade agreements—

Mr Watts interjecting—

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

The member for Gellibrand will leave under standing order 94(a).

The member for Gellibrand then left the chamber.

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

nine new live animal destinations; 100 per cent write-off for water; 100 per cent write-off for fencing; write-off over three years for grain storage—you can see that in the member for Parkes' electorate; the dog fences we are rolling out so that you can get sheep back into areas; the $2½ billion water policy.

You always wonder: does a difference in government make a difference? I looked at the last 12 months of Labor. In the last 12 months, we have gone up by 23.7 per cent. In the last 12 months of the Labor government, growth was minus 0.5 per cent. That was the difference. They were minus 0.5 per cent; we are positive 23.7 per cent, an absolute record. So I thought I would try and find out about the Labor Party's policy and I found this seminal tome by Bill Shorten. If you want to understand the next Prime Minister of Australia, this is essential reading. So I decided to read it. He had three pages on agriculture:

A hotter drier climate combined with more extreme weather events is also making life difficult for Australians in some of our oldest industries, notably agriculture. All these changes force us to re-assess how Australian industries work and what place each has in our … future.

He even doubts its future. He goes on. If you were not depressed by then, he goes on to say:

Higher temperatures will produce more crop-damaging pests. … Three-quarters of the land Australia currently uses for viticulture will be unsuitable.

And on and on it goes, until you feel like topping yourself. This is exactly the sort of negative—

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

The Deputy Prime Minister will withdraw that remark.

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

I withdraw. The reality of course in agriculture is this: this is exactly what is happening, mate. This is exactly where it is going, and we have turned around Australia's agricultural output, because we are the better government.