Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

It will be good! My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Ludwig. I refer the minister to an article written by the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness, Dr Craig Emerson, in the Australian last week. In that article Dr Emerson states that Australia 'can establish itself as a reliable supplier in meeting Asia's food security needs', and that to do this we must have 'improved water catchment and conservation infrastructure'.

Senator Cameron interjecting—

If the government believes that agriculture is important to Australia, Dougie Cameron, why has it abolished R&D organisations such as Land and Water Australia, cut money from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's budget, ended overnight live cattle exports to Indonesia, bought back more water than it has saved through infrastructure upgrades in the Murray-Darling, supported vegetation management policies which have placed restrictions on 80 per cent of the state, and also sold coal seam gas licences all throughout the state? If food production is so important to the government, why is its record so deplorable?