Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about an outstanding business in my electorate. I am always pleased to be talking about businesses that are doing exceptionally well and talking them up, not talking them down as we often hear on the other side.

I am really pleased to talk about this great local business in my electorate: Madura Tea, an outstanding tea company. Madura Tea is located at Clothiers Creek in the Tweed Valley. This is a perfect environment for the production of many agricultural products, but especially tea. What a great site they have there. This company was established in 1978, and very proudly the company is still 100 per cent locally owned. It is run by four local families. What is really important is that this is the only Australian owned tea production facility in the entire country, so we are very proud of the fact that it is on the North Coast and that it does so well.

Madura Tea has grown to become the leading producer of specialty tea within Australia and throughout the world. The estate currently has some 24 blends of tea, which I understand make about one million cups of tea a day, so what a great achievement that is for them. Indeed, the Madura Tea Estate pioneered the production of green tea in Australia and they now boast one of the most modern tea-packing facilities in the world. I would encourage anyone on the North Coast to pop by and see those facilities; they are remarkable.

Because of all this it came as no surprise to all of us on the North Coast that last month the Madura Tea Estate was recognised for producing one of the best-tasting teas in Australia. The ratings agency Canstar Blue awarded Madura Tea the Blue Taste Award for tea bags after surveying 2,500 consumers. So I would like to congratulate the directors Gary Davey and Ron Ford, who accepted the award, and who also gave credit to their very hard-working staff for this remarkable achievement.

Madura Tea was competing against some major tea brands, like Dilmah, Nerada, Bushells and Lipton. They won this award based purely on taste, against all of their overseas rivals. Director Gary Davey was quoted as saying that the award was 'totally unexpected'. He said that it was great to win the award because the taste of the product was one of the company's main focuses. They have tried to maintain the taste profile for a long period of time.

This award proves that quality will always win out in the long run. It has for Madura Tea. We are all very proud of them. They have won a host of awards—a range of different awards—over the years, right throughout the country. I would like to finish by congratulating the staff at Madura Tea. I know how hard they work. I also congratulate the owners. They have a very long list of achievements.

I encourage all keen tea drinkers to go out there and try for themselves. You will not be disappointed. Madura Tea is outstanding, and we are very proud of their achievements—particularly this latest award, but their ongoing achievements as well. They are certainly outstanding in the local electorate in the great work that they do in employing so many people. To have them on the world stage and continuing to achieve so much is a great credit to the North Coast.