Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

I am absolutely thrilled to answer the question because do you know what? I have been 260 days in this place and I have never been asked a question—never once! That is their attitude to agriculture. And the first question I am asked about agriculture is from the member for Sydney! And what is the question? You would think they would ask a question about how in May we had record movements of beef—over 108,000 tonnes of beef. You would think they would ask a question about moving 1.3 million head of live sheep and that, since we have signed off the Bahrain agreement, the price of sheep has gone up by $30 a head—an extra $12,000 per semi load or up to about $36,000 per semi load. But of course we did not get a question about that. You would think they would ask a question about the 585,000 head of cattle we have moved in the live cattle trade—something you were responsible for shutting down. But of course, no, we did not get a question about that. You would think we may have got a question about the drought package that we have rolled out with over $700 million of concessions, but of course we did not get a question about that. We got a question about a rumour!

I have heard another rumour. Here's a rumour. I have heard that the member for Sydney wants the Leader of the Opposition's job. There's a rumour. Here's another rumour. I have heard that someone from the New South Wales Right got convicted by the ICAC for corruption. But hang on! That's not a rumour; that's the truth—Eddie Obeid. I heard another rumour that someone from the New South Wales Right also wants your job. Tony Burke wants your job. That is not a rumour either. I heard another rumour that the member for Lilley is still in the chamber. No, it is the truth. He is still here.

We hear lots of rumours around here but we never get any questions about policy—no questions about policy. I welcome it. After 260 days, they have finally decided that there is an agriculture portfolio but they just cannot work out how to ask a question about it.

To go back to the diesel fuel rebate, it is your party that wants to put a tax of 6.85c a litre on diesel. So there is only one party to vote for if you want the tax: you!

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