Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. Will the minister inform the House what challenges exist for the Australian dairy industry? What action is the government taking to address these challenges and boost the competitiveness of the agricultural sector?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am being spoilt today! I would like to thank the member for Forrest for the question. Might I note that the member for Forrest herself currently is a dairy farmer; in fact, when she got married they went straight back to the dairy farm. So we have a person in the member for Forrest, which is the strongest dairy producing area in Western Australia, who actually knows—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence, from the member for Moreton in particular.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

what it is like to be in dairy and what it is like to be in small business. Small business: you have either lived it or you haven't lived. There are so many on our side who have actually had their name at the bottom of the chequebook and the mortgage on the house. We understand that.

I would like to tell the member for Forrest the good news first. Since we have been in power the exports of butter have gone up 61.1 per cent, the exports of skim milk powder by 43 per cent—this is in value, by the way—and the exports of whole milk powder by 60 per cent. In fact, the exports of dairy products in general have gone up by 43 per cent because we are actually doing the business, we are actually moving product.

There is also some bad news, and of course the bad news is on the other side of the chamber. The bad news is the Labor Party, because they still support the carbon tax and the carbon tax is costing every person in their dairy shed in excess of $1,300 a year. It is costing one of our largest dairy producers, Murray Goulburn, $14 million a year. That is $14 million that they could be sending back to farming families.

We used to think they were terminators—even the member for Hunter last week was still a terminator under his breath. I said, 'Mate, you're no longer terminators.' He said, 'Well, I am, I'm still a little bit of a terminator.' You were a massive terminator, you were a massive terminator, but no longer. I think the only terminators that are left in the Labor Party—

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: I do appreciate there are forms of the House but I will not sit back and just let the minister lie across the dispatch box. That was a direct misrepresentation—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You will resume your seat.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, you should make him withdraw.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Make him withdraw.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. I heard nothing but argument. In accordance with the standing orders and in accordance with the Practice, I will not be recognising him for a point of order again today. I call the honourable minister.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you going to withdraw?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Hello? Are you talking to me or are you talking to the Speaker?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hunter is on very thin ice. I ask the Minister for Agriculture—

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you take one of us on, you'll take all of us on!

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member should take leave under 94(a).

The member for Riverina then left the chamber—

Opposition members interjecting —

There will be silence on my left. I will be finding someone on my left to join him shortly. I call the honourable the Minister for Agriculture and if he has said something which should be withdrawn he may well do so.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Whatever it was, I withdraw it. But I tell you what: there are still two terminators on the other side—there still are. There is Tanya the terminator—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Minister for Agriculture will refer to people by their correct titles.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Or Member for Sydney the terminator, but she is not going to terminate the bill on the carbon tax; she is going to terminate—

Mr Champion interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wakefield! One more utterance and you will leave.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the bill at the front desk. That is what she is going to terminate. But there are other terminators. There is the member for Grayndler. I think he might be a bit of a terminator as well—he is the people's choice of a terminator. So we look forward to them terminating you very soon.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the member for Barton because previously I gave the call to the member for Hunter when it should have gone to the other side of the House.