Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

) ( ): It gives me great pleasure to speak here today and ask a question of the minister in relation to the National Landcare Program. In my seat of Wide Bay, agriculture provides over $1 billion to the economy. It is very important that the National Landcare Program works in conjunction with these agricultural producers. I have beef production, forestry plantation, sugar crops, small crops and large macadamia farms throughout Wide Bay.

On our side of the chamber, the government understand that when it comes to conservation and sustainability through land care no-one understands those things better than our rural producers. There are people on the other side in Labor and the Greens particularly pretending that that is what they are about, but we know that they are more about the extreme vegetation management type laws that were attempted to be introduced in Queensland recently. They are a 'lock it up and lose your land rights' approach to farmers, saying, 'Let's grow as many weeds as we can in that space.'

The federal government has announced $1.1 billion to fund a new National Landcare Program. The funding is made up of two components: around $1 billion over five years from 2018-19 for the second phase of the program and $100 million for four years from 2016-17, as was announced by the government in December 2016. This demonstrates that the coalition government has a strong commitment to Landcare and the volunteers across this nation. It also demonstrates that the coalition government's Landcare Program is about achieving productive environments. It supports the protection of and restores our soil, water, vegetation and biodiversity—the natural resources of our unique environment which underpin the productivity and profitability of agriculture and fisheries in local areas like Wide Bay.

The producers in Wide Bay are already doing some great things when it comes to sustainability and the environment. I mentioned the macadamia producers before. We have the third-largest macadamia industry in Australia. It produces $20 million worth of macadamias each year. Those producers have entered into an agreement with Ergon and created an energy plant that provides through the combustion of the waste of macadamia nut shells enough energy to supply 1,200 houses a year. That is equivalent, in terms of reduction of greenhouse gases, to taking 200 cars off the road. This is what our agricultural producers are doing to improve our environment.

Our sugar producers in Maryborough have environmental action plans in relation to water pollution, nutrient run-off and chemical plants. They are very, very active when it comes to trying to reduce the sediment and nutrient run-off into the Great Barrier Reef. Recently I was very happy to announce a grant for the Mary Valley under the National Landcare Program, which was really good. We cannot forget that Labor's greatest effect on the Mary Valley and agriculture was its attempt to put a dam there, which was basically going to kill the whole area. I must admit, though, that it was the Labor government that stopped the pain, so it was an interesting exercise in Labor bringing and then stopping pain—a little bit like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer because it feels so good when you stop.

Anyway, my question to the minister is: can the minister provide some information on the measures that the coalition government has in this year's budget that will help my local agricultural producers regarding the National Landcare Program?

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