Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Ludwig. Can the minister update the Senate on any new data on Australian farm income? What does this data say about the performance of Australian farms and are there any threats to this performance?

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

I thank Senator Sterle for his continued interest in standing up for agriculture in his home state of Western Australia. ABARES yesterday released the September quarterly update of Australian commodities. The report shows that farm export earnings remain around 24 per cent higher than the five years to 2011. Export income from crops remains steady at around $21 billion. Those of us on this side have taken steps to improve Australia's performance in rural Australia. We are rolling out the NBN, we have opened a market for carbon farming and we are delivering a hospital reform for regional areas.

What is troubling for those on this side is the risk that those opposite represent for the future of Australian agriculture. The opposition is hopelessly divided on key agricultural policies. Let us take wheat exports. The deregulation of the wheat industry was necessary and vital to ensure the continued competition in industry. Let us not forget the AWB oil-for-food scandal. It is well understand by Labor and by Liberals who are unified to stop this rort and continue to deregulate wheat. The opposition leader at the time, Brendan Nelson, said of the reforms that growers now need to be able to have the choice as to how they grow and how they will market their grain.

Fast-forward a couple of years to September 2012, and what do we see now? Today we see in the Western Australian an article claiming Ms Bishop has abandoned the position of deregulating the wheat industry. For the sake of unity, mind you, the Liberals have collapsed and given in to the doormats of the Liberal Party. You need to elevate yourselves a bit now because the Pastoralists and Graziers Association say the WA Liberals have sold out the state and the industry. (Time expired)

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a supplementary question for the minister. Can the minister inform the Senate of the potential impact of this Liberal-Nationals Party policy on Western Australia and whether there is any evidence that rural industry in my home state of Western Australia—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I cannot hear myself, Mr President.

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Sterle, continue.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order! I need order on both sides. When there is silence on both sides we will proceed. Order! On my right!

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Senator Conroy, I am waiting to give the call to Senator Sterle.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It may not be of interest to the clowns on that side, but to Western Australian farmers it is very important— (Time expired)

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Thank you. I can answer that part which, I gather from the Western Australian inference, was about wheat. When it comes to opposition—

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I know that there has been some flexibility when it comes to the requirement to be directly relevant, but when there has not even been a question asked, how can the minister possibly be directly relevant to the question?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Could you at least get Senator Ludwig to tell us what the question is, so that we can understand his answer?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

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

I have no doubt you will get the gist of it.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I suspect you did not quite hear what Senator Cormann was saying. No question was asked. There was not a supplementary question asked by Senator Sterle at all and, if you look at the standing orders, answers have to be to questions. If there is no question asked, there cannot be an answer given.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. I have ruled on that. Senator Ludwig.

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

Thank you, Mr President. I know that they are sensitive about this when the—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. If no question has been asked, how on earth, Mr President, are you going to rule whether or not the minister is being directly relevant, as is required under sessional orders? If you do not know what the question is, you will never be able to make a determination, and as a result Senator Ludwig will be able to talk about whatever he likes. He will do that anyway, I know, but, in fairness, Mr President, you should be indicating that, if no question has been asked, there clearly can be no answer to it.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order, it is the case that Senator Sterle was unable to complete his question as a result of the interjections which you had to call to order and which intervened in his ability to ask the question. But, Mr President, he started his question, and I think there was enough of it for Senator Ludwig to respond to that part of the question that was asked. I am sure he will do a good job in doing so. There is no point of order.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I have already ordered that there is no point of order. I have asked Senator Ludwig to address the matter and the question that has been raised.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I am sorry—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis, I will go further. I have allowed these questions before when—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order! I am making a statement. I have allowed these questions to stand before when others have asked questions, whether they be the primary question or the supplementary question.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Well, I invite you to go and read the Hansard record.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I seek leave to move a motion to give Senator Sterle extra time to actually ask the question.

Leave not granted.

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

When it comes to opposition policy, it does feel like history is repeating itself. The government is progressing the deregulation of the wheat industry, to continue to foster investment and drive exports. While Senator Joyce has already taken his leave, and Mr John Cobb is out there demanding the reinstatement of the single desk, the Liberals remain asleep at the wheel. The opposition do not know whether they are coming or going.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on the question of direct relevance. Senator Ludwig is clearly not answering the question that Senator Sterle asked him, and I ask you to ask Senator Ludwig to be directly relevant to the question asked.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There is no point of order.

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

They might laugh but they cannot hide the fact that— (Time expired)

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have another very important supplementary question to the minister. Given that the Liberal-Nationals are so divided over the policy their parties stand for, what does this mean for the opportunities for farmers under an Abbott government?

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

I thank Senator Sterle for his continued interest in WA. The National Party and some Liberals are effectively running an anti-investment campaign. They are opposed to investment and opposed to jobs. The Gillard government takes trade very seriously, unlike your position on wheat, unlike your position on foreign investment. It is not a plaything that you should abuse. It is actually something that is relevant and important to your electorates. But, everywhere I look, the opposition is split on policy—except on one. There is one policy you are not split on, and that is the one policy the state Liberal-National parties are already rolling out across Australia. That is cuts: cuts to services to rural and regional Australia, cuts to education in New South Wales and cuts to hospitals and health services in Queensland. No other policy has so much support from the Liberals and Nationals as cuts. So there are some things you can unite on, which is very surprising— (Time expired)

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I asked that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.