Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion because, quite frankly, I want to set the record straight. What we're being asked to recognise today by those opposite is not a triumph for Australian producers because, on any fair reading, this agreement falls short for the very people who grow our food and fibre. The government wants to tell Australians this agreement will open doors, but I'm here to tell you too many of our farmers will see those doors slammed firmly in their faces.

Don't take my word for it; let's examine what the industry itself has said, because they're the people at the coalface. It's not the Minister for Trade and Tourism; it's the farmers, the foresters, the food producers otherwise in this country. Here they are. They've passed judgement on this agreement. The National Farmers' Federation has been very clear. They've described the outcome as incredibly disappointing and warned that it fails to deliver meaningful new access for key agricultural exports. The Australian wine grape growers, an industry peak close to my heart—not because I'm a huge consumer of their product, but I represent more wine by value or volume than any other person in this place. What have they said? They've said that, after years of negotiation, they expected better. From the red-meat sector, the backbone of so many regional communities, the message is even more direct. The sheepmeat producers of Australia have said this agreement has sold them out. Trust me; from an agricultural peak, that's strong language. Think about it. It has sold them out. That's language you don't hear often.

The Australian Forest Products Association has also been pointed in their criticism. It's hardly a ringing endorsement when they say it lacks opportunity, and I'm worried about the risk of cheap European imports flooding our market.

So, when the motion claims the agreement will 'guarantee new and significant market access', we have to ask: where is it? Because the evidence from those on the ground—those that work in these industries, selling their product internationally, 24/7, can't see it. What I see instead is a pattern: high expectations, rushing off to a press release, slow delivery and a government more interested in headlines than outcomes. This agreement was settled, I'd argue, so the Prime Minister could get a selfie with another world leader.

While Labor celebrate tariff reductions, they ignore the reality that tariffs were never the real barrier in the first place. Quotas, standards, protectionist measures and settings remain firmly in place, limiting the ability of Australian producers to compete on a level playing field in any event. This is a fundamental problem. You can't claim success by pointing to theoretical access when, in practice, our producers still can't get their product into the market at meaningful volumes. And let's be clear. Regional Australians and the farmers and the fibre producers of this nation don't want symbolic wins. They can't pay their mortgages or, in fact, their diesel bills with symbolic achievements or outcomes. They need economic outcomes that deliver.

In my electorate of Barker, I can assure you I meet with farmers, growers and processors every single week. They want fair access, they want certainty and they want a government that's prepared to stand up for them at the negotiating table. Instead, what they see is a deal that concedes too much and delivers too little.

Let's look at just one of the things that were conceded in this agreement. It hasn't received much attention, but I've got to tell you it sparked my interest. In one of the articles in this agreement, there was an undertaking to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. When I read the words 'fossil fuel subsidies', I can only think they're talking about the diesel fuel rebates that apply for farmers who use their equipment off road. Now, if you're talking about conceding too much, there it is. That phrase in itself should send shivers down the spines of Australian farmers. This is a government that's prepared to throw away the diesel fuel rebate—in many cases, the only thing that keeps farmers viable.

See this speech in context