Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sterle for his continued interest in not only the future of Australian agriculture but also, particularly, Australia in the Asian Century. Last Sunday the Prime Minister released the Australia in the Asian Century white paper—a plan to ensure that Australia is Asian-ready for the future, a plan that puts Australian agriculture front and centre for the future of the Australian economy, a plan that sets up Australia to boost exports to Australia over the next decade and beyond.

And one of the most important commodities we can export to Asia now and into the future is wheat. In 2010-11, 72 per cent of wheat exports by value went to Asia. That is around $4.6 billion worth of exports. Our top three export markets in Asia include Indonesia, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea. Indonesia in particular is our biggest and most important wheat export market. In 2010-11, $1.16 billion worth of wheat exports went to Indonesia and wheat is our number one export to Indonesia by a long way. Wheat exports to Indonesia are four times the size of the live cattle industry.

Our wheat farmers, like many other commodity farmers in Australia, will benefit from the growth in Asia, particularly the middle class. Our wheat farmers will benefit from the desire of those in the growing middle class in Asia for a reliable, high-quality, clean and green product. Our export wheat farmers from Western Australia—those farmers who export most of our wheat—would benefit if the opposition would, once and for all, decide that the market would be better deregulated than regulated under the coalition. The Gillard government is working hard in WA and with Australian wheat farmers more particularly to ensure we are developing— (Time expired)