Julie Collins
Franklin · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The government has undertaken broad industry consultation, including engagement with industry bodies to seek feedback on the proposed changes to the wine act.”
“The changes will allow ABARES to confidentially disclose personal information to third-party providers to assist ABARES in performing its function of conducting critical annual agricultural surveys—that is, ABARES could provide the contact details of survey participants to mailing companies to enable those companies to send survey approac…”
“The bill will amend two acts: The amendments to the Wine Act will enable Wine Australia to conduct or coordinate surveys of the grape industry or wine industry to support the operation of the Wine Act, or the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 in relation to the grape industry or wine industry.”
“Together, these amendments strengthen operational effectiveness at the border, improve regulatory decision-making and support better engagement with industry, while maintaining Australia's uncompromising biosecurity standards. The bill also makes a minor and technical amendment to the Biosecurity Act, to remove the use of a defined term.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Australia's biosecurity system plays a critical role in protecting our environment, world-class agricultural and animal production sectors, economy, and way of life.”
“The measures in the bill relating to the collection and disclosure of certain information will modernise and strengthen the Wine Act, while ensuring that protected information is afforded appropriate safeguards.”
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“We know that that has had a big impact on the budget, with a cost of around $3 billion, but we're providing that support to households because we know that the war in the Middle East is indeed impacting them at this point in time. Importantly, of course, the budget also has investments for the future in terms of Australia's security when it comes to things like fertiliser, when it comes to things like fuel and when it comes to things like the supply chain and sovereign capability, which is really important to make sure that we're not in this position again and that we can shield Australians as much as possible as a government from some of the impacts of the current global instability. In terms of the additional $2 billion for housing investments, Tasmania is eligible for another $50 million.”
“It means our urgent care clinics, one at Kingston in particular that has opened recently, will be there permanently, as well as those other seven clinics across Tasmania, as a permanent part of Medicare,. This is really important for my electorate, and I know that my electorate really values having an urgent care clinic and indeed the cheaper medicines. The tax relief for working Tasmanians will be $250 in the working Australians tax offset and, of course, the $1,000 tax deduction. This means that the average worker in the country will be, with our three stages of tax cuts, this offset and the deduction, on average around $2,000 a year better off because of action that our government has taken. Of course, they might not feel it, but they are certainly getting relief at the bowser with the fuel excise cut.”
“I want to talk about the impact of Tuesday night's federal budget on my electorate of Franklin. I would say to my constituents that this has been our most ambitious budget yet. This is a budget about resilience and dealing with the uncertain times which we face with global uncertainty and the war in the Middle East. But it's also a budget for sustainability in the future and reform for the future. It's really important for the young people of my electorate, particularly in terms of some of the housing reforms that we are doing in this budget, particularly around tax. Importantly, it's also a cost-of-living budget for so many of my constituents in the electorate of Franklin. It means more tax cuts for more working people in my electorate. It means more cheaper medicines in terms of the investments we're making in the PBS.”
“While those opposite are focused on whether or not they should do a deal with One Nation, we're focused on deals for the nation.”
“This includes $7½ billion for the establishment of a fuel and fertiliser security facility to increase supply and storage of fuel and fertiliser right here in Australia, as we've heard, and over $3 billion to establish a government owned Australian fuel security reserve of around a billion litres. This is about doing more in our own backyard. It's about minimising the impacts of global disruptions, and it's about keeping our food production system strong. These are critical investments that have been welcomed right across the agriculture industry, including by the President of the National Farmers' Federation, Hamish McIntyre, who said last week that it is 'a welcome step toward building the sovereign capability we need to protect our food system'.”
“We've worked with industry and with the Indonesian government to help secure an additional 250,000 tonnes of urea supply from Indonesia, with the President of Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, Scott Bowman, saying: … this additional volume will go a long way to shoring up critical supplies to Australian farmers. We're streamlining, but we're not compromising on, our biosecurity processes to help get fertiliser and feed inputs to our farmers faster. We're also deferring the implementation of changes to agricultural export services for an additional year. Of course, we've made our announcement in relation to tonight's budget, which will include an Australian fuel security and resilience package.”
“We recognise the critical role our farmers, our fishers and our producers play in supporting our food security, our economy and our regional communities. We've been focused on easing the immediate pressures and securing more fuel and fertiliser to provide farmers with confidence for the future. We've amended fuel and diesel standards. We've released 20 per cent of our strategic fuel stockpile to help get more fuel into our regions and to our farmers and our fishers. We have passed the legislation to underwrite additional shipments of fuel and fertiliser, with over 450 million litres of additional diesel secured to date.”
“I want to thank our terrific member for Bullwinkel. It was terrific to be with her in WA's Wheatbelt talking to farmers on the ground about how they're actually dealing with what is a global conflict and how it's impacting them on the ground, particularly in relation to fuel and fertiliser availability. Price, of course, was concerning to them in the conversations that we had. We do know that the impacts of this war are being felt globally, and right here in Australia as well, which is why I've been holding weekly roundtables with the agriculture industry and why we have been working as a government day and night, as you've heard from the Prime Minister and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, to help Australians, but particularly our farmers, manage these impacts and keep Australia moving.”
“The chief executive of the Australian Meat Industry Council, Tim Ryan, said yesterday: They have listened and responded to industry concerns … That is exactly what our government has been doing this whole time with the war in the Middle East. We have been working with industry, listening to their concerns and working together in the national interests. All of us in this place and right across the country need to be working in the national interest, not going around with talking points to undermine what the government and industry are trying to do together. We should all be working to help shield all Australians, including our farmers and our fishers, from some of the worst impacts of this conflict in the Middle East.”
“Our Fertiliser Supply Working Group is set to have its first meeting tomorrow. This group will build on the work already underway in our government and across industry to help improve the availability of fertiliser for our farmers. We've heard also from the Treasurer today how we're helping small businesses, including our farmers and our fishers, to access credit by extending the small business responsible lending obligation exemption; and how the ATO will be establishing hardship measures which will also help our ag and fishing industries. As I said yesterday, with engagement with the industry, we have taken the decision to defer the full cost recovery for export services for one year until 1 July 2027.”
“We know that front of mind for our food producers is the fuel and the fertiliser, which is why we've been taking action to keep Australia moving and our farmers farming. We've passed legislation to underwrite the purchase of fuel and fertiliser by the private sector to help get these critical inputs into Australia and to our farmers that need them. We've halved the fuel excise on petrol and diesel. We've amended the petrol and diesel standards, and we're releasing up to 20 per cent of our strategic fuel stockpile to get more fuel into our regions where our farmers need it. We understand how important diesel particularly is for our farmers, for keeping our trawlers and our fishing vessels moving and for ensuring our heavy vehicles can continue to deliver our world-class food and fibre.”
“I want to thank my fabulous Tasmanian colleague the member for Bass. I know that the member for Bass has been talking to farmers and primary producers in her electorate, like many people in this building have, about how the war in the Middle East is impacting them at the moment and impacting globally. Certainly we understand that the work our farmers and foresters do underpins our food security, our regional economies, our national economy and, of course, our critical trading relationships. Over recent weeks, we know, they have been facing some challenges due to this war in the Middle East and its global impacts. That's why our government has been working day and night to help ease the pressure on our farmers and our fishers.”
“It builds on the work that we are already doing as a government to improve the availability of fertiliser, including, of course, amending the legislation to underwrite the purchase of fuel and fertiliser by the private sector, working with the ACCC to monitor and coordinate fertiliser supply, and working with industry and engaging with other countries to find alternative supplies of fertiliser. We'll continue to work with farmers and industry to make sure that we can help shield them from the impact of this global crisis.”
“That includes the farm household allowance, concessional loans from the Regional Investment Corporation, independent financial counselling through the Rural Financial Counselling Service and the Farm Management Deposit Scheme—always available for our farmers when they need it. While our government continues to support farmers, fishers and producers facing these cost pressures, we're also working to ensure they have the critical inputs of fuel and fertiliser. Today, we've also announced that we'll be establishing the new Fertiliser Supply Working Group. The group will include representatives from key government agencies and industry organisations such as Fertilizer Australia and the National Farmers' Federation. This is a response to a direct call from Fertilizer Australia and other key stakeholders.”
“We are listening to their concerns, which is why today our government has taken a decision to defer the full cost recovery for export services for one year to 1 July 2027. This will help give our farmers, producers and exporters facing input cost pressures more certainty in the midst of global uncertainty. The president of the NFF, Hamish McIntyre, said today: the package of measures provides welcome breathing space for farmers and exporters facing sustained input cost pressures and market uncertainty. We know that this certainty is so critical for our farmers and producers, and it builds on the practical support that is always available for our farmers and primary producers.”
“I do want to thank the member for Hunter for that question. I know that his region has some great produce that he's very proud of, and he also knows why it's really important to keep our food system production very, very strong indeed. As I've said previously in this place, Australia does produce more food than we consume. But we do know that the conflict in the Middle East is having impacts globally and it's putting pressure on our food producers here in Australia. That's why the Albanese Labor government continues to work day and night to help our farmers manage the impacts of this conflict in the Middle East. We're taking immediate action to support industry, to help keep our exports moving and to help Australia's food system remain strong. Before question time, I met again with stakeholders from across our agriculture industry.”
“I'm continuing to meet with farmers, fishers and producers to manage this, and I particularly want to thank them for how constructive they've been in engaging with the government and for their suggestions and the work they're doing with us.”
“That's why we're working with Fertilizer Australia, the National Farmers' Federation and other industry bodies and right across our government to closely monitor fertiliser supplies and to coordinate alternative supply options. We're working right across government but also with countries in our region to help secure additional supply of fertiliser. We're also strengthening our biosecurity processes to manage the risks and allow the prioritisation of fertiliser cargoes at our border, to make sure that, if we're getting it from alternative places, we get it into the country quickly. We're using all of the levers available to us to help shield our farmers, our fishers and our regional communities from the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.”
“There was the announcement today in terms of the fuel excise reduction and the heavy-vehicle road-user charge reduction, and that builds on our appointment of the Fuel Supply Taskforce and its coordinator to drive fuel distribution, which we know has been impacted in the regions. We're releasing up to 20 per cent of our fuel reserves to help address this regional shortage and are adjusting fuel and diesel standards to help bring more fuel into the market, particularly into regions. We've also tasked the National Food Council to concentrate on the conflict in the Middle East, and we've commissioned a national food supply chain assessment, with the initial report on diesel supply due to me within the month. We know that a large portion of our fertiliser supply, including urea, comes from the Middle East.”
“We know there have been challenges around the demand of these, which of course come on top of some of the difficult weather conditions that our farmers have been dealing with in some parts of the country. But today's endorsement of a national fuel security plan by National Cabinet will deliver a coordinated and consistent response across the country to support all Australians, including our farmers, fishers and producers. We've also heard, from our prime minister and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, that we'll work with industry to help to underwrite the purchase of fuel and, importantly, fertiliser by the private sector, to deal with some of these challenges. This will support our suppliers to secure additional supply.”
“I want to thank our fabulous member for Paterson, who—for those of you that don't know—did chair a critical report into our food security, which is really coming to the fore in the current climate in which we find ourselves dealing with the impact of this conflict in the Middle East. She understands just how important it is. We, the government, have been laser focused on helping our farmers, our fishers and our producers to manage the impacts of the conflict in the Middle East. As we've heard, this conflict is impacting globally, and that includes here in Australia. Of course, front of mind for industry here in Australia has been the inputs of fertiliser and fuel, which we know are critical to our food production.”
“The member opposite shouldn't be panicking people when it comes to food supply in this country. We will continue to work with our farmers in relation to fuel and fertiliser. Our government has already taken action, as the minister and the Prime Minister have outlined.”
“I want to thank the member opposite. I also want to thank all of my colleagues behind me who have been representing farmers and primary producers, and talking to me about some of the challenges that they have been hearing in their electorate. We do acknowledge that there are challenges, particularly for our farmers, our fishers and our primary producers, which is why I'm meeting with them on a regular basis to hear directly from them about what is happening on the ground and so that we can address the challenges that they are experiencing. As I have said in this place, we are working with them in terms of fertiliser. As you would be well aware, we can produce enough food in this country to more than feed the Australian people, which is why we currently export around 80 per cent of our primary produce, in terms of value.”
“The bill underpins the government's commitment to support the growth of Australia's agriculture sector. It increases the efficiency and the effectiveness of our export regulatory system, and it paves the way for broader reform across a range of non-prescribed goods. I commend the bill to the chamber. Question agreed to. Bill read a second time.”
“The bill will remove this requirement, allowing industry to produce and prepare multiple types of products at a registered establishment if those products meet all of the requirements for exports. This bill also broadens the scope of what documents the government can issue under the act to support trade. This ensures that the government can better support Australia's market access by providing the assurances required by our trading partners. These amendments support the Australian government's export assurance reform project. These reforms will strengthen the regulatory oversight of certain goods that are not currently prescribed for the purposes of the export control legislation, including wool, honey, pet food, skins and hides, rendered goods, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, stock feed and feed additives.”
“I do want to thank the member opposite for contributing to the debate. I'm not sure that I can say I agree with everything he said, because I don't. But I say that this important bill, the Export Control Amendment (Clarifying Obligations Relating to Registered Establishments) Bill 2026, will reduce regulatory burden for Australian export businesses by ensuring that export operations can be carried out at registered establishments without needing to be included in the registration unless it's a prescribed export condition. The act currently requires that all operations for prescribed goods at a registered establishment must be included in its registration. This includes operations that do not otherwise require registration, creating excessive regulatory burden for Australian exporters.”
“The Algona Road-Channel Highway project has over $60 million committed to it; again, there are no commitments from the state government on getting that done. Dates keep slipping in relation to projects. What we actually need to see is some action. In relation to the South Arm Highway, a traffic management system is needed around Lauderdale Primary School, a significant school in my electorate. Again, the Tasmanian community and the Lauderdale school community have been waiting a very long time for this. My big message here today is that the federal government keeps stepping up to the plate and providing funding, but the Tasmanian state government doesn't keep delivering, and we need them to deliver for my electorate and for Tasmania.”
“One of these projects includes safety upgrades on the Tasman Bridge—tens of millions of dollars. I have been calling for these safety upgrades for more than a decade, and the Tasmanian state government has been very slow to action this. They did do some preparatory work in January, so I hope that they're not too far away. Then, of course, there's the Mornington Roundabout, which I committed to at the last election—actually, the one before! The Tasmanian state government, at their last state election, also said that they would commit to it, and they've put $20 million towards it to go with the $80 million from the federal government. This is to remove a roundabout, improve the intersection and build some ramps. But, again, they have—it's on their website—dragged out that timeline further, and it has not been happening.”
“One of the state government's reasonings was, 'Well, we've got a state scheme.' We wondered: why not give people options and the two can run side by side? But it is welcome news. Importantly, I want to call on the Tasmanian state government to actually legislate and get this done. They first promised it 2½ years ago. The scheme has now been up and running since December, and all we've got now is a promise. Tasmanians know, of course, that the Tasmanian state government says plenty and then doesn't deliver. On that note, I continue to raise with the Tasmanian state government the lack of action on a range of infrastructure projects in my electorate. I'm getting correspondence about it on a regular basis, and I keep writing and talking to the Tasmanian state government.”
“I want to provide the House with an important update when it comes to housing policy and Tasmania. Many of my constituents know how hard it is to get a foot in the door of the housing market. This is replicated right across the country. For some reason, our Tasmanian state government decided not to join up to the national shared equity scheme, Help to Buy. So I and my other Tasmanian colleagues have been on a mission to shame them into joining up. The deadline was 1 March, and they hadn't signed up by then. We did a couple of events. We wrote to them. We did some media. Finally, they say that they will now join the national scheme. Whilst this is very welcome news, it means that Tasmanians have missed out on guaranteed places for this current financial year for the shared equity scheme.”
“I say to the member opposite that we're strong advocates on this side of the House for farmers and producers, and that's what you've seen from us since we've been in government. That's what you've seen from us in terms of getting our world-class products right across the globe.”
“As a government, we are aware that some cargoes booked for Australia are delayed in the Persian Gulf, and we continue to monitor it. We do source urea fertiliser from other regions, and we're working with industry to seek alternative supplies. In the same way, as I said, that we are working with the ACCC and industry for fuel, we are also working with them in relation to fertiliser. We do continue to monitor this situation, and I'm having weekly meetings with the agriculture sector in relation to fertiliser, and we're in regular contact with Fertilizer Australia on how we might source more fertiliser as Australian farmers need it. We have been doing the work to make sure that Australian farmers can have certainty when it comes to future crops.”
“I want to thank the member opposite for that question. As I said last week, fertiliser is a significant input into our agriculture sector, and it is very important. I've certainly been working with the Minister for Industry and Innovation to see what we can do in relation to fertiliser in Australia. As I said last week, we have enough fertiliser either in Australia or on ships in terms of the initial cropping season. We're certainly getting a lot of input from farmers about fertiliser prices, and we have been working with the ACCC on how we can work with them, as we have in relation to fuel for fertiliser and what needs to be done there so that we can ensure fertiliser is getting to the people that need it most.”
“In the same way that industry is working with the ACCC to supply fuel to the regions, Minister Ayres and I are working with industry and the ACCC on similar arrangements for fertiliser supply. As I've said, while much of the fertiliser required for the upcoming season is already in the country or on the water, we continue to closely monitor this situation, and we'll keep listening and working with farmers and industry to ensure that the supply is available. Australians expect all of us in this place, and everyone along the supply chains, to continue to act in our nation's best interests. I implore those opposite and those in the supply chains to take this seriously. The conflict in the Middle East is not a commercial opportunity nor a political one, and Australians do expect all of us to continue to act in the national interest.”
“As the Australian Institute of Petroleum said yesterday: Ensuring fuel supply to every part of Australia is vitally important—to every town, to every community and to every business … The President of the National Farmers' Federation, Hamish McIntyre, said: We're all working together now to make sure there's a fair and even distribution … Our government has also announced that we're doubling the penalties for false and misleading conduct and cartel behaviour, and the ACCC will ramp up fuel-price monitoring even further. As we've heard, we've acted to have the National Coordination Mechanism respond even further. We have better coordination, better cooperation, more scrutiny and more surveillance. Fertiliser Australia were also part of this week's roundtable, because, of course, we do know that fertiliser is critical.”
“We know that fuel supplies continue to arrive in this country, but we also know that we need to continue to work to support our industry with these challenges. Following our roundtable earlier this week, both the ACCC and the Australian Institute of Petroleum are working with suppliers to address some of the bottlenecks and to make sure that our regional communities are getting the fuel they need. We just heard from the Minister for Climate Change and Energy about the additional action that he has taken to ensure more fuel for our regional economies.”
“I thank our member for Bullwinkel. I know that the farmers and producers in her electorate, like those right across the country, are working day and night to ensure that we continue to get the fibre and the food that we need here in Australia and indeed right across the globe. As we do know, fuel and fertiliser are critical for our farmers, and the fuel is also important, of course, to keep our fishers fishing as well. As I said in here yesterday, we do know that the conflict in the Middle East is causing disruptions. We've been hearing directly from industry, from our farmers, from our producers and from our fishers on some of the challenges that they're facing right now, particularly in rural and regional Australia.”
“This addresses a growing gap where documents that our trading partners require are not catered for under our legislation. These amendments ensure that the government can provide the support needed to maintain and grow Australia's market access for all agricultural exports. The bill underpins the government's commitment to support the growth of Australia's agricultural sector by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of our export regulatory system and paving the way for broader reform across a range of commodities. Debate adjourned.”
“The bill will remove this burden, by enabling occupiers of registered establishments to conduct these operations without contravening the act. The new provisions would ensure that only operators who carry out export operations that are not covered by their registration but should be are penalised. This would align penalty provisions across the act and its rules. Without this amendment, export operations across some of Australia's key agricultural industries could be forced to complete extensive processes to register operations that do not, in themselves, justify registration. This bill will remove all that red tape for industry and increase government efficiency. The bill also broadens the scope of what documents the government can issue under the act to support trade.”
“The Australian government is conducting an export assurance reform project that will strengthen the regulatory oversight of goods including wool, honey, pet food, skins and hides, rendered goods, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, stock feed and feed additives. Through this reform process, the government has identified amendments required to the Export Control Act 2020, to ensure that the export regulatory framework continues to function as intended. Many places where goods are processed and prepared for export are regulated as registered establishments under the act. In these cases, the act stipulates that all operations for prescribed goods at the establishment must be included in the registration. This includes operations that do not otherwise require registration, creating excessive regulatory burden for Australian businesses.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Australia's agricultural exports are forecast to reach around $80 billion this financial year and support a wide range of agricultural businesses across the country. The government plays a key role in facilitating this trade through the assurances we provide to importing countries. Our regulatory system demonstrates the high standard of Australian agricultural goods, and our government-to-government communications assure importing countries that their requirements are being met. These requirements are ever evolving, and our regulatory approach needs to adapt accordingly.”
“On this side of the House, we're going to continue to work with our farmers, our primary producers and our fishers in the national interest, and I call on everybody else in this place to do the same.”
“There is a responsibility on all of us in this place to act in the national interest, and I call on everybody to do that. All of us in this place need to reassure all Australians that fuel is continuing to arrive in Australia in normal volumes. People should go about their usual business in their usual way with confidence. The fuel supply coming into the country is in addition to the strategic fuel reserve that has not yet been drawn on. And let me be very clear about that. That reserve is larger than what we had when those opposite were in government. On fertiliser, for the upcoming planting season, the fertiliser that is required is already on the water or in the country. That is the advice that we are receiving clearly—that the fertiliser is already on the water or in the country.”
“We all reaffirmed yesterday that this conflict in the Middle East is not and should not be an opportunity for commercial opportunity for people. We discussed yesterday the importance of the fuel industry delivering fuel across our economy, including to our regions. The minister has outlined the actions that we are taking. After this meeting yesterday, the President of the National Farmers' Federation, Hamish McIntyre, said: Now is the time for calm, considered and sensible actions … In fact, the leader—the former leader—of the Nationals rightly backed this message on Monday on Sky, where he said: … the big message for every Australian is, don't panic. The supplies are there. Regrettably, Mr Speaker, not everybody is getting the message.”
“Of course, front of mind for our farmers and producers right now at this point in time is the supply of fuel and fertiliser, which underpins everything they do, including, of course, our food production. We know that demand for fuel in some parts of the country is higher than normal, as the Minister for Climate Change and Energy has indicated, particularly in our regional and rural communities. We're hearing from our farmers, our producers and, indeed, our fishers that there are some challenges right now, which the minister outlined along with how we're responding. It's why our government yesterday held the roundtable with the National Farmers' Federation, Fertilizer Australia, the Australian Institute of Petroleum and the Australian Trucking Association.”
“I want to thank our terrific member for Bendigo. I know she's got some fine farmers and producers in her electorate, and it was great to be with her just a few weeks ago to meet with many of them. Our government understands the importance of keeping our farmers farming during this difficult time. We know that every community across Australia and, indeed, countries across the globe including our near neighbours rely on our world-class food and fibre. We're working day and night, as I said yesterday, with our farmers and producers to assist them with the immediate challenges from the current conflict in the Middle East, which we continue to monitor.”
“We have heard some concerns today from people about some of those regional communities that have been impacted, as the minister for energy has indicated and other members have indicated. But we've also heard that many of the input products for the upcoming planting season, including the majority of the fertiliser required, are already on the water or already in the country. Farmers are rightly looking ahead, and they are planning. We understand the importance of fuel and fertiliser to a productive food system, which is why we're also making sure we've got supply-chain resilience as a key priority of our national food security strategy. This strategy will help safeguard Australia into the future. On this side of the House, we'll continue to stand with our farmers.”
“As the Minister for Climate Change and Energy has indicated, our government did hold a roundtable today with the National Farmers' Federation, Fertiliser Australia, the Australian Institute of Petroleum and the Australian Trucking Association—all joining together because now, more than ever, collaboration really is critical. This builds on discussions that many of us have had over the last week with our broader sectors and industries. As the energy minister has also reiterated, we have more fuel now than at any time over the last 15 years. We know that fuel continues to arrive in the quantities and at the frequency that we need, with more shipments due within the week. It's also critical that our fuel industry continues to deliver a consistent supply across our economy, including to our regional communities.”
“From day one of this conflict in the Middle East, we have been monitoring the potential impacts on our ag industry. Indeed, we're working day and night with our agricultural exporters to ensure the safe return of products that have been disrupted due to the conflict. We also recognise how critical the supply of fuel and fertiliser is for agriculture and for our food security. That's why our government is working together with the farmers, the producers and industry—so that we can quickly respond to issues as they arise. We have been very clear, and I reiterate: the conflict in the Middle East is not a commercial opportunity. Indeed, we must all act in the national interest during this period of time, because we know that keeping our farmers farming is in the national interest.”
“I want to thank our member for Paterson for chairing the committee that actually wrote a report on Australia's food security, and for keeping ministers up to date on what was happening in her regional community over the weekend. I think everybody in this place, in this building, understands the importance of ensuring our farmers can continue to produce our food and our fibre. We also understand that keeping our freight and supply chains moving is critical. As the government, we know that food production is critical for every community right across Australia and that we actually can produce about 2½ times the food we need. We also, of course, feed our close neighbours in the Indo-Pacific with our world-class agricultural products, and we need to be able to continue to do that, too.”