Tony Windsor (New England, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and relates to the carbon debate. Could the minister inform the House of his vision for the farm sector in relation to the carbon debate and, in particular, the potential to sequester carbon in our better soils through conservation farming practices? Given that the former Prime Minister sidelined farmers from any involvement in the carbon task force, and the inability of the National Farmers Federation to influence debate, what role does the new government foresee for agriculture’s involvement in the development of a carbon market?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for New England for his question. When I was visiting New England, the honourable member for New England took the opportunity to take me through and show me some of the particular soil practices that are being engaged in by farmers there. For a long time New England has been in the front line of no-till farming. The same issues were raised by the representatives of AgForce during the visit the Prime Minister and I made to Roma.

A lot of focus has been put, at different times, on carbon emissions and land clearing. It is also the case, though, that the different methods of soil use have a significant impact on carbon emissions. Packages put together by the government and announced in our election policy Australia’s Farming Future go to some of the specific ways in which we can advance these practices to make sure that farmers are well prepared for the carbon trading scheme. The three particular programs in Australia’s Farming Future which will go to some of the issues raised by the honourable member for New England are the agricultural adaptation programs, the adjustment programs and a program making sure that research and development has a particular focus on productivity and on climate change research. Together, those programs add up to $130 million, and that will provide an important part of the way forward on the issues raised by the honourable member for New England.

It is important that we finally have a situation where the government of this country is concerned with preparing farmers for a future with climate change. It is all the difference in the world away from the prior government, which denied the climate was changing at all. It is all the difference in the world away from that government, which for 11 long years told people there was no need to prepare, there was no need to adapt and there was no problem at all. The report that came from ABARE at the end of last year made clear the real dangers to both our domestic and export markets if we do nothing in terms of preparation for climate change. This government has the Australia’s Farming Future policy. We are committed to making sure that we are well prepared, as an agricultural sector, for the future so that we can deal with both adaptation and mitigation issues—in particular, in the soil areas raised by the honourable member for New England—in making sure we have not just a sustainable but a vibrant future for Australian agriculture.