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

Thank you, Senator Cadell. I am familiar with the National Farmers Federation campaign Keep Farmers Farming, and I had quite a bit to say about campaign a couple of weeks ago. I'd be very happy to share my speech with you, and I suspect you would probably agree with a fair bit of what I had to say in that speech, because you're a sensible man, unlike your colleagues. Credit where credit's due, Senator Cadell. You shine a light that the rest of the National Party could follow.

I promise to address your question, but what I will say also is that in the speech I gave at the National Farmers Federation conference I made the point that of course every peak lobby group will always find points of disagreement with the government of the day. We certainly remember that Mr Littleproud, the now Nationals leader, used to call the National Farmers Federation 'ignorant'. And what was the other one—'sideline critics'. So there's a history of governments not getting along with the NFF at all times. But this government has delivered on so much of what the NFF has asked for. There's sustainable biosecurity funding. Senator Farrell, you might know a little bit about the restoration of trade with China, which has delivered $6 billion in agriculture exports to China—just as the NFF called for and every farm in Australia was calling for. And that's not to mention the other markets we have opened as well.

But, Senator Cadell, you raised a serious issue: the competition for land and, indeed, sea, that we see between different users—agriculture, fisheries industries and renewable energy. Our government, unlike the former government, is taking these issues seriously and is trying to build a framework that allows for the coexistence of these industries going forward. We know—and, Senator Cadell, you've highlighted—examples where particular energy companies haven't done the right thing when it comes to consultation with landholders. That's exactly why we have a review of consultation process underway at the moment.