John Watson (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over recent weeks we have been made aware through various special events that this year is the 200th anniversary of the first export of a commercial bale of wool from Australia. Tonight I rise to pay tribute to this industry to which we as a nation owe so much. That historic event 200 years ago has had an immense economic effect on our nation. It has led to the establishment of one of our major wealth-producing industries and has encouraged a rural way of life which has helped to mould the Australian character as we know it today.

Some might question why it took 19 years from first European settlement for such an obvious commercial event to occur. We must remember that, in the early days of settlement in New South Wales, times were tough. The colony had little to spare, and food and security were paramount. The challenge of exporting wool to the other side of the world was not the main goal at first, but enterprising people could see the opportunities even in those very early days. In fact, the first wool samples were sent to England in 1804; eight samples of the first wool ever grown in Australia were forwarded for the approval of King George III. They were very well received, with amazement being expressed at the quality and softness of the samples.

Those samples were the result of work by the Reverend Samuel Marsden, a clergyman, who, along with John Macarthur, a soldier, had acquired the first dozen or so Spanish merinos brought from South Africa back in 1797. So it was that in November 1807 the Reverend Samuel Marsden, the owner of the third-largest flock at the time, arrived in England with a cask of Australian wool. In the same year, Macarthur sent more than 400 pounds of his wool to England aboard HMS Buffalo. The wool sold for 45p a pound.

In the following year, 1808, Marsden’s wool was woven into a piece of cloth, from which a black suit was tailored. Marsden proudly wore that suit when he was introduced to King George III. The demand for wool rose quickly, helped by the needs of the Napoleonic Wars and the continental trading blockades occasioned by that conflict.

By 1830, the Australian sheep population was close to two million and was multiplying with speed. It was helped by the inflow of merinos, which greatly improved the quality of the wool in many flocks. Over the 200 years that the wool industry has been so important to our economic wellbeing, the ethos of wool and merinos has ingrained itself into our way of life in so many ways. Through literature, art, language, humour and music, many aspects of the wool industry and its way of life have become part of the cultural and commercial character of Australia. Just look at our most popular song—a tale of adventure over a sheep—and the wonderful woolshed paintings of Tom Roberts and his contemporaries. From the transport infrastructure built to serve the industry, right down to Australia’s love of dogs, which have softened our hearts with their clever ability to work with sheep, so much of our Australian character is closely connected to our heritage as a major wool-producing nation. The wool industry has greatly contributed to our national character and the strength of the notion of mateship. Even city dwellers feel a strong emotional link when they see people working with sheep on the land.

Minister Truss recently said in the other place that wool is still one of our major export commodities, particularly amongst our primary sector, and is making a very substantial contribution to our nation’s export growth. He said:

In commemorating 200 years of Australian exporting, it is interesting to observe that it took 190 years for Australia’s exports to reach $100 billion in a year. It has only taken the 11 years of this coalition government for us to double that number to $210 billion—

a great effort.

While parts of Australia have been suffering from prolonged drought, we have still been able to keep the wool industry in a very viable state. While the number of sheep tends to vary during drought conditions, our enterprising rural Australians show their resilience by always bouncing back as soon as conditions allow.

Our wool industry has flourished over so many years because of the excellent quality of our product, its natural characteristics and the way in which innovation and technology have helped us produce the finest and softest wool, which is demanded by top fashion designers around the world. In our minds we connect the wool industry with outback shearers and the historic and romantic image that has built up over two centuries, but it must not be forgotten that the world’s leading designers and fashion houses have also helped to build our wool’s reputation throughout the world.

Given that my last job before entering the Senate was as the manager of a wool textile mill in Launceston in Northern Tasmania, and also acknowledging that I currently own sheep on a farm, I have a particularly personal relationship with this subject. Like so many Australians, even though I am nominally an urban dweller, I can relate closely to the image of our rural industry, which is such a significant part of our national wellbeing.

As we work our way into the new century, it is heartening to see that our wool industry is still very much a major contributor to our rural economy. To those who work in the industry, whether it be as graziers, shearers, mill workers, fashion designers or retailers, congratulations on your contribution to an industry which is so vital to Australia’s growth. On this 200th anniversary of the first export of commercial wool, we are grateful to those who have done so much to provide the prosperity which we attribute to our ability to ride on the sheep’s back for so long.