Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

It will not be difficult to be relevant to that irrelevant question. What we do have in foreign investment is important investment in rural Australia. Coal seam gas is primarily a state issue, but this government is taking the lead with the states and territories in investing to make sure that environmental consideration is at the forefront. If you take a look at the Murray-Darling Basin, for years the opposition have ignored that issue. This government has driven for an outcome for years. The Murray-Darling Basin has been overallocated with water and everyone has acknowledged that issue for years.

If you look at the opposition, they did not look at how you develop food security for Australia. This government is taking the first actions of developing the first national food plan. Those opposite have not taken the lead on any of this. They remain focused on simply opposing investment in agriculture. They remain opposed to coal seam gas, which provides gas for the east coast and which provides income for farming communities. They remain opposed to the food plan.