Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Deputy Prime Minister, Senator McKenzie. In an article in this morning's Australian entitled 'PM walking all over McCormack, Nats say', it is reported that Nationals MPs are furious after Prime Minister Morrison refused to back the Nationals' plan to introduce a special visa for farm workers. What reasons did Prime Minister Morrison give the Deputy Prime Minister for shutting down his visa proposal?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

McKENZIE (—) (): What absolute rubbish from Senator Cameron—absolute rubbish. I sit in the National Party party room; I'm deputy leader of the National Party party room. I also sit in cabinet. And I can tell you unequivocally, Senator Cameron—through you, Mr President—that the Nationals have not given up on an agricultural visa; we have not given up on ensuring that our farmers have the workforce they need to get the crop off, to harvest, to milk the cattle, to actually process meat through our abattoirs—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Collins, on a point of order?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, on a point of order: the question is not whether the Nationals have given up. The question is: what reasons did Prime Minister Morrison give the Deputy Prime Minister for shutting down his proposal?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've reminded the minister of the specific nature of the question. The minister's been speaking for just over 30 seconds. At this stage I consider the minister to be directly relevant to other parts of the question. I call upon her to continue.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, it just didn't happen, Senator Collins—just didn't happen. The Prime Minister made an announcement in South Australia over the weekend, which we welcome. It is actually ensuring that for those Australians who are looking for a job, who want to work, we have many, many roles available out in regional and agricultural regions and in our industries, and we look forward to welcoming them on farm to do this work. But we know that this won't be the single solution. We know this isn't the silver bullet and there is much more work to do. We've got the Seasonal Worker Program, which is filling significant gaps, and the Pacific workers scheme, which is also filling significant gaps. There are significant opportunities, I think, right throughout our region to have a win-win situation where those on Pacific islands can actually come and assist us with the great food task and support our farmers but also support their families at home. There's a lot of work we can do in ensuring that our farmers have the workforce and the skill levels they need to assist and get on with the food task. We're wanting to see agriculture grow from a $64 billion industry, as it is right now, to a $100 billion industry. That's going to take a lot of know-how, a lot of research and development, and a lot of workers.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, a supplementary question.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The President of the National Farmers' Federation, Fiona Simson, has labelled the Prime Minister's announcement that his government will force welfare recipients to pick fruit where there are labour shortages 'a shallow approach to a deep problem'. Is Ms Simson correct?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The National Farmers' Federation has long advocated that we need to fill the skills shortages out in the regions. I can remember doing a Senate inquiry with Senator Lines many, many years ago through the Senate education and employment committee, where we heard directly from producers right down the east coast on the lack of labour in businesses, from strawberry farms to abattoirs.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, on a point of order.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let's go on a travelogue!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The travelogue is all very interesting, but the question was whether or not Ms Simson's comment that Mr Morrison's announcement was 'a shallow approach to a deep problem' was correct.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, Senator McKenzie, Senator Wong has reminded you of the specific nature of the question with respect to that program. You have 35 seconds remaining to answer.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a complex issue, as we found when we conducted the Senate inquiry. It's not as simple as the head of the ACTU at the time said: 'We've got X number of unemployed people in an area, and Y number of jobs. We just put them together. We just smash them together.' That was actually the advice of the trade union movement—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, on a point of order.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance. This is not about the ACTU. This is about the National Farmers' Federation saying that the government's position was a 'shallow approach to a deep problem'.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, I take the point of order. Not all points of order are an opportunity to restate the question. Senator McKenzie was directly addressing, at that particular point in her answer, the nature of the problem.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I stated, it is a complex issue. Labour mobility in this country has been a longstanding issue. I wish that we actually had a lot more Australians coming and joining us in regional Australia, not just with the food task but with a whole raft of job opportunities— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, a final supplementary question.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The article quotes another Nationals MP as saying Deputy Prime Minister McCormack is 'ineffective'. They said:

Michael might be a nice bloke but he's also an ineffective nice bloke.

Did the Deputy Prime Minister fail to deliver on the Nationals' plan to introduce a special visa for farm workers because he's just an 'ineffective nice bloke'?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can confirm one thing out of the article you're quoting from, Senator Cameron, and that is that the Deputy Prime Minister is a nice bloke. He isn't just a nice bloke; he's a fantastic bloke. Out there in regional Australia, they know he has their back. He has their back each and every day in the party room, in the cabinet room, in the leadership conversations—and, on the floor of the House of Representatives right now, he'll be standing up for the third of Australians that don't choose to live in a capital city, for the 70 per cent of our export industries that employ over two million Australians. As the National Party, under his leadership, we have been delivering, not just having conversations around mobility schemes but looking at digital connectivity. There is the Building Better Regions Fund—round 3 is open now; if you had any seats out there, I'd say you're welcome to apply. We've also got $22.5 million for the Stronger Communities Program— (Time expired)