Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I must reiterate that from the combined efforts between government and industry including extensive work to reopen and improve market access, over 1.6 million head of cattle have been exported since this government came to office in October 2013. In 2014 the government successfully negotiated access to six livestock export markets: Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, Cambodia, Thailand and Lebanon. I am hoping that the Minister for Agriculture will soon be announcing access to China. This proves the coalition government's commitment to live export trade and further proves this government's commitment to Australia's primary producers. It is further evidenced by the fact that under the final month of the previous government a price of a light steer out of Darwin was 165c a kilo. As of 5 March this year, the same animal made 275c a kilo—a massive 67 per cent increase in returns through the farm gate.