Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources—and I congratulate him on his elevation to the front bench. Will the minister update the House on the state of the agricultural sector in Australia and how coalition government policy has encouraged more and better-paying jobs for hardworking Australians? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank the member for Flynn, who is a real fighter for the people of Flynn. I was fortunate enough to visit his electorate and go across the length and breadth of it, and talk to his farmers at their kitchen tables and have a look at the innovation that takes place on their farms. I was fortunate enough to meet with Smart Berries in Mundubbera, a town of a thousand people. But, at the height of their picking season, they employ up to 500 people, which is a huge influx into a community like that.

When I sit at their kitchen tables and talk to them they tell me the most important things to them are the trade agreements that we've put in place that are allowing them to put their product right around the world and will allow them to get into markets they don't have at the moment—the free trade agreements that we've done with Japan, Korea and China, and now the TPP if only we have some support from the other side. But I don't know whether that's going to come, because the tinfoil-hat approach to trade on the other side of the House is something that's going to hold back agriculture. This is something that would drive growth and jobs in regional and rural Australia. And it's not just at the farm gate that you get the returns; it's in the small communities that support those farms. I can tell you it's from St George to Blackbutt and down to Colac. Those are the communities that take advantage of the free trade agreements. We're putting in the framework and the environment for our farmers to invest back into their farms, and complementing that with the tax cuts we are giving them. They are real tax cuts, because we on this side have employed people. We know what it's like. We know what the pressure is like—

Mr Conroy interjecting—

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

The member for Shortland!

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to have to come up with the wages—

Mr Conroy interjecting—

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

The member for Shortland is warned!

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

of your employees on a Friday afternoon—the stress and strain. Let me tell you, the reality is that there is strain and stress. But, if you give them that opportunity and put money back into those small businesses, they invest it back into their small businesses and they invest it back into their communities.

We're also putting in infrastructure around our farmers for the telecommunications of the 21st century, through the Mobile Black Spot Program. Never before have we seen an investment of $200 million in the tools of the 21st century that our farmers need. As the member for Flynn and I went around, we heard day after day about the huge advantages that the Mobile Black Spot Program has put into regional and rural Australia.

We believe in the 320,000 Australians employed by agriculture. But the thing that worries me is that, only a week ago, in a National Press Club address, the Leader of the Opposition did not once utter the word 'agriculture'. Not once did he say 'agriculture'. God help those that work in agriculture and those in regional Australia if the Leader of the Opposition ever becomes Prime Minister.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.