Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Minister McCarthy. The Australian government's premier advising body on farming, ABARES, recently found your energy policies are set to take 18 million hectares out of farming production to create carbon credits. ABARES found that over one-half of this farming land will be in our rich high-rainfall and wheat-sheep areas and that over 40 per cent of farmers will leave farming altogether after selling their carbon credits. Minister, during a time of unprecedented instability, why is the government sacrificing farming jobs and agricultural land, making it harder for our farmers to feed our nation?