Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

The way that the government are treating agriculture generally is completely absurd. It is completely and utterly absurd. This industry exports close to $30 billion a year. They almost wet themselves when there is a gas deal signed with China that runs for 25 years for $25 billion—they go berserk. But here is an industry that is doing more than that every year, and what are they prepared to do? They will not even genuinely fund the reform process. There is $30 billion worth of exports every year. The beef industry on its own exports more than the car industry. They supply hundreds of millions to the car industry but they will not fund a simple reform process of export fees and charges. It is absolutely absurd.

Let us have a look at what happens in other countries. In Argentina, industry funds the on-plant inspection component only. In Australia they want us to fund that plus all the overheads. In Canada: on-plant inspection only. In Denmark: on-plant inspection only. In Great Britain: on-plant inspection only. In Japan: laboratory testing regimes only. In Korea, industry pays nil. In Mexico: vet costs only. And in the United States: shift and overtime only.

This is a significant industry for Australia. It is the sector that kept us out of recession, yet this is how this government treats it. It is not prepared to put up the money. The department have been absolutely decimated because of the fact that the minister will not stand up for them in cabinet. They have been copping all the cuts, and yet the government will not put in the money for a simple reform process, even though we are talking about an industry that exports $30 billion a year.