John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 1412 standing in my name, by omitting '1,486 cotton farms' from subparagraph (a)(ii), and substituting '1,436 cotton farms'.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the cotton industry is a largely family-owned and operated industry,

  (ii) Cotton Australia states that, in 2017-18, there were 1,436 cotton farms in Australia, and 947, or 66%, are in New South Wales,

  (iii) in 2017-18, more than 90% of cotton was exported with a value of $2.1 billion,

  (iv) in 2017-18, cotton accounted for 5% of the gross value of agricultural production, or $2.8 billion, and is Australia's sixth largest agricultural export,

  (v) the cotton industry helps to support more than 150 rural communities, and

  (vi) Australian cotton maintains a global reputation for very high quality; and

(b) supports Australian cotton farmers and the cotton industry as a whole.