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

I thank Senator Macdonald and concur with his remarks. If we are truly going to live in the Asian century, if we hope to be a powerhouse in agriculture, then we have to facilitate all the facets that bring that about. We note that the interest in the Australian sugar industry is intense. This industry can be a champion of the future, especially of North Queensland, and a champion of areas of new development, especially in areas such as the Ord. But if we are going to take the industry forward then we have to take it forward in a clever way. The world is not foolish in agricultural production; it is quite wise. When we hear that India can be a net food exporter, your general belief that, because there are a great number of people, therefore they are all hungry is not necessarily correct.

But what does happen is, as the world's middle class grows, they look for a higher quality of food, and a higher capacity for the attainment of a quality product. Therefore, we have every interest, for our own self-interest, in making sure that we are at the forefront of research and development in our key agricultural export commodities. So, in places such as sugar, beef and wheat, we need to have a real footprint, and we need to have the intellectual property that takes our nation to a position where, as the commodity booms in other areas—such as mining—start to taper off somewhat, that space can be filled by the increase in production in agricultural sectors and service sectors. So, as a smart economy and as a smart opposition that hopes that, if it places itself right, it might get the honour of leading the nation, we want to make sure that we do everything in our power to conduct the research in sugar as a key example of a key Australian crop. I thank the Senate for the capacity to give me some consideration on this matter, and I commend the Sugar Research and Development Services Bill 2013.