John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Canavan, O'Sullivan, McKenzie and Day move:

That the Senate notes:

(a) the beef industry is worth $8.5 billion to Australia;

(b) a report released by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences [ABARES] shows that farm incomes are increasing for Australia’s beef producers;

(c) that beef producers in northern Australia have enjoyed a 98.1 per cent increase or around 50 per cent above the average for the previous 10 years;

(d) that beef producers in southern Australia have seen their farm cash income increase from $38,100 a farm in 2013-14 to $64,000 a farm in 2014-15;

(e) that increases in the numbers of cattle sold for live export and higher prices have resulted in the farm cash income in the northern live cattle export region increasing from an average of $143,000 in 2013-14 to $277,000 in 2014-15; and

(f) that the Australian Government’s free trade agreements with China, Japan and Korea, combined with the live cattle trade negotiations with China, ensures a strong and prosperous future for the beef industry.