Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is this government about jobs and growth? Tasmania's and Australia's blueberry industry is being held back by the Deputy Prime Minister. An export opportunity to China is going begging. Chinese demand for blueberries is growing at 20 per cent per annum. It is the fastest growing fresh fruit category in China. Australian blueberries are not on the priority list for export protocols with China, yet other products are, such as macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, mandarins, lemons and cherries. Horticulture Innovation Australia recommended blueberry access be made a priority over 12 months ago, but nothing has happened. The government needs to act by making the negotiation of an export priority a priority.

China is receiving blueberries from Canada, Chile, Peru and Argentina but not from Tasmania nor mainland Australia. While the Deputy Prime Minister has been sitting on his hands, these countries have successfully negotiated export protocols into China. What I must stress is that this is an urgent matter. While the Chinese are building on their relationships with South American countries for blueberries, over time they will become reluctant to break those relationships and to accept Australian blueberries. At the moment, Australia exports about $2 million of blueberries. If we can export into China, by 2019-20, the conservative estimate for exports is projected to be over $50 million a year, and some quote even as high as $100 million a year. This is because Australian blueberries are superior in quality to those currently being exported to China.

Tasmania and Australia are ideally placed to capitalise on a seasonal gap in the Chinese market. The Deputy Prime Minister's failure to act and make blueberries a priority for market access is unfathomable. Access to the Chinese market will open up opportunities for increased economic activity in regional areas like mine and will grow many, many jobs. In Tasmania the major growing areas for blueberries are in the north and north-west. The industry employs around 300 full-time equivalent workers and up to 1,500 seasonal workers. But access to China could grow an additional 150 to 200 full-time equivalent jobs over the year and many, many more additional seasonal jobs, sometimes doubling the effort. The majority of blueberries grown in this country are grown in two National Party held seats. I beg those members to go to their leader and get him to get off his hands and make this an urgent priority for Australia's blueberry industry.