Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator O'Sullivan, for that question. The re-emergence of the strength of the beef sector has been a great news story for our country over the last few years. It has been timed with the re-election of the coalition government in 2013. While there have been a number of factors involved, a big difference that this government has made is that it actually supports our beef producing sector; it supports a trade in beef across the world. It has signed a number of free trade agreements to open up market access for that sector and it of course supports our live export industry, which underpins so much opportunity for our producers to get a fair price for their hard work.

That re-emergence, that rebirth, of the strength of this sector is underlined by the simple prices that people see at the saleyards. The most commonly used price across the country is the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator which compares similar cattle sold right across the country. When we came to government in 2013, its price was just over 300c a kilogram and today, just over three years on, the price is more than 700c a kilogram. It has more than doubled in the space of three years, thanks to the policies, in part, of this government.

There has also been a shortage in cattle markets as well, but there is strength in our beef sector—strong world prices for the boxed beef products and live exports of our nation. This is a unique opportunity for us.

We often hear complaints from some that, for a long time, there have not been abattoirs across the north. You could draw a line from Townsville to Perth and there would be no abattoir north of there. Well, now, thanks to the strong beef sector, abattoirs have opened in Darwin, in February last year; and, only in the last week, the Kimberley Meat Company has opened their abattoir between Broome and Derby in Western Australia. This is a great news story for our beef sector and a great news story for northern Australian beef producers in particular.