Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Senator Abetz. I ask: can the minister advise the Senate how the government's improved trade relations with Indonesia, Egypt and other nations have strengthened the live cattle export trade for my home state of Western Australia?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Back for his question, and acknowledge his longstanding interest in ensuring that Australia has a sustainable livestock export trade that increases the economic returns to our farmers and exporters for the long term, and especially his interest in this regard for his home state of Western Australia.

The value of the livestock export trade is increasing. Last year, after Labor's debacle, we were able to increase the quota for an additional 75,000 Australian live cattle. The government is committed to building on this progress. I am also pleased to inform the Senate that the government has reopened the live cattle export trade between Australia and Egypt. This follows our announcement in February that the trade of live cattle and sheep with Bahrain will also recommence. Bahrain has historically been an important market for Australian live sheep exports. Prior to the suspension of the trade in 2011, Bahrain imported 400,000 Australian sheep and 2,500 Australian cattle. These agreements will collectively sustain the jobs of Western Australian sheep producers who provide the vast majority of live sheep for export. During the seven years of the former Greens-Labor government, not one live sheep was exported from Australia to Egypt. Labor's reckless ban of live cattle exports to Indonesia, in a knee-jerk reaction to a Four Corners report, really did untold damage to our reputation to our nearest Asian neighbour. Indeed, the Indonesian market accounts for more than 62 per cent of Australian live cattle exports, on which so many of our Indigenous-run cattle stations rely. And so this is not only for the white farmers, but also for our Indigenous— (Time expired)

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister inform the Senate of the impact this growth in live export trade has had on jobs in Western Australia and, in particular, on Indigenous employment in the North?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, we welcome the increase in the live cattle export trade, because it will sustain a significant number of the 370,000 jobs in agriculture and create many more jobs for farmers, primary producers, exporters and, as I have already said, in Indigenous communities. In particular, these agreements will secure the growing number of jobs in the 96 Indigenous-owned pastoral leases across Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. The 14,000 Indigenous people living on or near these pastoral leases stand to significantly gain from the coalition government's success in boosting the live cattle export trade since coming to office. The government is committed to promoting jobs growth in Western Australia's live cattle export industry by opening up even more avenues for trade and investment.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask a further supplementary question: can the minister explain to the Senate how Western Australians can benefit from continued jobs growth in the live export trade from our state?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If Western Australians want to secure continued jobs growth in the live cattle export trade, Senator Back, they should be voting for coalition senators in the upcoming Senate election on 5 April. The Greens-Labor government demonstrated that they were incapable of responsibly managing our relationships with key trading partners. Indeed, they put out a white paper called Australia in the Asian century and what did they do? They completely trashed one of our export markets within Asia, damaging our relationship with Indonesia as they did so—the same Greens-Labor government that heralded the Asian century cancelled contracts and trade deals.

We believe that there is a better way and that that better way is with a coalition government and with a return of coalition senators from your home state of Western Australia, Senator Back, to ensure that the Indigenous communities that rely on the live export trade can survive— (Time expired)

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

Order! Your time has expired, Senator Abetz.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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