Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. Would the Deputy Prime Minister, in his capacity as Minister for Trade, update the House on the government’s efforts to build citrus exports to China, a matter of some moment to me in the seat of Hinkler and to my colleague the member for Mallee? Are there any other impediments to these efforts?

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hinkler for his question. As the member for Hinkler would be well aware, improving market access for Australia’s agricultural exports is not just about removing tariff barriers but also about negotiating quarantine protocols to get fresh produce into those markets across the world. China is a classic and recent example with huge potential for the Australian citrus industry—for citrus growers in the member for Hinkler’s electorate, in the member for Mallee’s electorate, in the member for Riverina’s electorate and probably in the member for Barker’s electorate.

During Premier Wen’s visit here in April, we signed a quarantine protocol with the Chinese government to allow the export of all major varieties of Australian citrus into that rapidly growing market. The first consignment of Queensland mandarins from Mundubbera, in the member for Hinkler’s electorate, has cleared Chinese customs and will be on sale in local markets in Beijing today—Australian mandarins are for sale in Beijing today!

Australian Citrus Growers have said that this represents ‘a real milestone, due to a strong export commitment in the industry and partnership with the Australian government’. The member for Hinkler would be pleased to know that a total of 48,600 kilos of mandarins were shipped from Mundubbera: 22,680 kilos have gone to Shanghai; 25,920 kilos have gone to Beijing. They expect an additional 300,000 kilos to go to China before October. Next year, the industry is hoping to further increase exports as oranges and other citrus fruits become more available to go into that market. This market could be worth in future over $50 million for Australia’s citrus growers, and we know the difficult circumstances they have been through over the years.

Now that we have established that protocol on citrus, our priorities will turn to getting table grapes, summer fruit and cherries into the Chinese market. This is an example of working closely with our counterparts in the Chinese government to establish these protocols.

While we have been doing that and establishing a reform process in Australia—reforming the waterfront, for example, one of the key industrial relations reforms that have helped this industry export its product more efficiently and competitively—what have the Labor Party been doing? They have been opposing our reforms. They opposed us on the waterfront; they have opposed our taxation reforms; they have opposed our workplace relations reforms. Lately they have been raving on—there has actually been scaremongering—about the issue of bananas, trying to help out their mate in Queensland. And they have sacked the only member of the frontbench that knows anything about agriculture. That is all the Labor Party cares about our agricultural industries. Meanwhile our government is getting on and getting access for the citrus growers across Australia, particularly in the seat of Hinkler.