Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Ludwig. Can the minister please outline to the Senate—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence I will ask the senator to proceed.

Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister please outline to the Senate the investment the Gillard government is making in Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry and why it is critical for the government to support these sectors of our economy?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Gallacher for his question. All the members of this government appreciate and support Australian agriculture, rather than talking it down like those opposite. The Gillard government is making strong investments into Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry. It is a Labor government that is driving reform, that is setting the right priorities to increase productivity and profitability in rural Australia. As always, the job of supporting our farmers falls to a Labor government, cleaning up the mess that the coalition government—

Senator Joyce interjecting—

Senator Wong interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my right and on my left! This is not helping the conduct of question time.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is left to Labor to protect our agricultural sector from pests and diseases through a strong biosecurity system. It is left to Labor to recognise the importance of our billions of agricultural exports and to work with industry to cut red tape through export reform. It is left to Labor to prepare for climate change with a $1.7 billion land sector package, because it is our farmers that are on the front line. The government have invested in rural research and development because we believe that agriculture has a future based on the natural ingenuity of our farmers. That is why we provided $1.1 billion on rural research and development. Unlike those opposite, Labor look forward for the Asian century. We support foreign investment and jobs in regional Australia. We are not caught in the past. We do not pine for the so-called good old days of the single desk, do we? No, we do not pine for those single desk days.

Senator Nash interjecting—

I am sure you do over there, but the Liberals get a bit quiet because the doormats have rolled you on deregulation.

Government senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Heffernan is on his feet. Wait a minute, Senator Heffernan, you deserve to be heard in silence, the same as everyone else.

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't know that I do!

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Heffernan, I did not hear a word you said because of the noise on my left.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Senator Heffernan is seeking to take a point of order. He is entitled to be heard in silence, on my right as well.

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I don't think I do deserve to be heard in silence, but the minister knows nothing about wheat.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order. Senator Ludwig, your time has expired.

Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister please inform the Senate whether there are alternative approaches for governments to invest in agriculture, fisheries and forestry? Are there any recent examples of these industries not receiving the right prioritisation?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Gallacher for his question. There are alternative approaches to investing in Australian farms, fisheries and forestry. You could take the low road and strip out investment, make service cuts and waste money. You could get the priorities seriously wrong, as we are seeing occur with the Liberal and National party state governments. While we invest, they cut and waste. In Victoria the government has spent taxpayer funded research for none other than the mythical big cat. While the hunt was on it shamelessly closed primary industries offices in regional Victoria. In Queensland we have seen the biggest slash and burn of regional services. Mr Campbell Newman has closed the doors on the Farm Financial Counselling Service, has threatened to dismantle the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and is sacking thousands of workers delivering rural and regional services. Meanwhile, in New South Wales, Premier O'Farrell is ripping $1.7 billion—(Time expired)

Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister please outline to the Senate any risks to successful investment for our farmers, fishers and forestry workers?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is very real and very serious risk to government support for agriculture, fisheries and forestry. The massive, widening split between the doormats and the Liberal Party is sending all of the wrong signals to overseas markets. They do not stand up for farmers in government. All they do is talk the economy down, so much so that Mr Abbott has officially put Senator Joyce on notice. Yesterday Mr Abbott made it clear that freelancing from the front bench would not be tolerated, so the pressure is on Senator Joyce to toe the line or he is out. It should not be too hard for him to toe the line with Mr Abbott. After all, they went to school together at Riverview on the North Shore of Sydney. While the Liberals and nationals are tearing themselves apart this government is backing-in Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.