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

I thank Senator Sterle for his supplementary question. The Gillard government has released the first ever National Food Plan. Unfortunately, the opposition do not have one and do not even talk about one. That is how much they care about food producers in Australia. But the actions of the state Liberal and Nationals governments will give you a clear indication of what those opposite are on about. In Queensland, Premier Campbell Newman sacked rural financial counsellors, closed biosecurity centres and cut funding from research and development. In Victoria, $40 million was slashed from agriculture, and there have been $300 million of TAFE cuts that have seen campuses closed in rural Victoria and courses scrapped. Mr Abbott and the opposition need to commit to a national food plan. The opposition spokesperson, Mr Cobb, put out a press release, which was about the summary of his entire plan. All it did— (Time expired)