Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Murray-Darling Basin is home to 2.3 million Australians who provide economic output worth $2 billion each year. We colloquially know the basin as 'Australia's food bowl', producing a staggering 40 per cent of the food and fibre we consume and around 7,300 irrigated agricultural businesses. Almost all of Australia's rice, nearly three-quarters of Aussie grapes and a third of our dairy is produced in the basin. This produce is world-renowned for its quality, and we should all be extremely proud of what our hardworking farmers produce.

This afternoon, members of this place who represent much of the basin will be hosting an event in the Senate courtyard to exhibit some of the amazing food and fibre these farmers produce like beef, rice, avocado, wine, gin, citrus, fresh fruit and juice from Barker's own Nippy's, almonds, pecans, quail, stone fruit, dairy—the list goes on. We've got chefs and barbecues and the best the basin has to offer. If you love Aussie grown, Aussie made food, this event is for you.

I encourage the opposition to come and join us at 6 pm in the Senate courtyard to celebrate what our amazing farmers and producers can do with the water of this nation. Let's keep these farmers farming the great Aussie made products on our supermarket shelves.