House debates Questions without Notice
Goods and Services Tax
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
2:57 pm
My question, genuinely without notice, is to the Minister the Agriculture and Water Resources.
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Minister, how much will a lamb roast cost if the government hits fresh food with a 15 per cent GST?
Barnaby Joyce New England, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals
2:58 pm
I thank the honourable member for his question. It gives me a chance to talk about the record prices we are currently getting for sheep because of the three free-trade agreements which our nation has signed with China, Korea and Japan. I will be heading to China, Korea and Japan in about three days time. We have also signed new live animal destinations to Bahrain, to Egypt, to Lebanon, to Cambodia, to Thailand and big ones into China, for we landed our first load—
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I think you know, Mr Speaker.
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Relevance.
Tony Smith Speaker
There is no point of order. The minister is not even one minute into his answer.
Barnaby Joyce New England, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals
As we know, it is based on a completely false premise, as there is no policy direction to increase the GST, but I have been very interested in some of the iterations which have been coming from the shadow minister for agriculture, like the last one. Once upon a time, they had a—what was it?—a $252 million limit on foreign investment in land. Just lately—
Barnaby Joyce New England, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals
he moved it to $1,000 million. Now he has reduced it by 95 per cent, back to $50 million. There is one thing I am absolutely certain about: if we are looking for consistency, we do not look in your direction.