Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural producers have been hit with a range of disruptions that have threatened operations. The Morrison government sought to listen to industry and proactively address the challenges faced by agricultural producers. An example of this is the International Freight Assistance Mechanism, which is supporting agricultural exporters shipping perishable products as they adjust to changing supply chains and transport arrangements. There's also been the $72.7 million Agri-Business Expansion Initiative, which helps agribusiness expand export markets. As many in this place would know, we are also developing a dedicated agricultural worker visa, making it easier for producers in industries such as grains, dairy, meat, wool and fisheries to access the labour they need in very challenging times.

As I've said in this place before, skills shortages and access to suitably qualified labour is probably the principal challenge facing agricultural producers right across Australia, including in my home state of Western Australia. The closures of international borders, while essential and very sensible as a response to the coronavirus, have disrupted the operations of, in particular, our seasonal producers, who have had to supplement their labour force for many years during the busy periods. The closure of the international borders have, of course, been exacerbated by problems caused by the closures of interstate borders on an intermittent basis throughout the COVID-19 period. To highlight just how essential this issue is, a recent survey by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA showed that 88 per cent of agricultural businesses identified skills shortages as the principal barrier to growth. We should always be concerned when we see statistics like that affecting such a broad range of businesses across the agricultural sector, which of course encompasses so many different varieties of products and so many different aspects of the supply chain, from transport to production, to logistics and, obviously, to the marketing side of agricultural products.

As I said, the federal government stands ready to assist. Unfortunately, we have an issue with the Labor government in Western Australia, which seems to want to do some blame shifting in this area, rather than getting the work done to solve the problem. The WA agriculture minister, Alannah MacTiernan, is telling farmers that the federal government has ignored a request to make Commonwealth quarantine facilities available for seasonal workers. This is a gross distortion of the facts. The reality is that the WA government has not submitted any formal proposal to allow this to take place. In fact, the request appears as a single line in a letter referencing Commonwealth facilities, such as Christmas Island. There has been no further suggestions, no detail, nothing about health protocols, the numbers required or the costs that the WA government would bear to get this done. They simply haven't done their homework. They haven't done the work required, the work that the industry requires that they do, to get the job done.

There are several options available if the Western Australian government is genuinely concerned about dealing with this problem. For a start, they could submit a proper proposal requesting the use of, or help with, a facility, a Commonwealth facility, with the relevant details, perhaps signed by the Premier even and backed by Western Australian health authorities. The Morrison government is prepared to consider and work with the states and territories regarding proposals such as this to assist the agricultural sector to get the workers they need.

I would also urge the Western Australian government to consider signing on to the Agriculture Workers' Code. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory have all signed on to the code, whose aim is to provide a nationally consistent approach to the movement of workers across domestic borders in critical agricultural industries. Signing up would better facilitate the movement of labour available in the eastern states to assist with, for example, our upcoming grain harvest. It would also provide the industry with greater certainty in the long term. Unfortunately, I hate to say that the state Labor government in Western Australia has some form when it comes to dealing with the bush and with regional Western Australia in particular. Nobody in my home state would be unaware of the fiasco surrounding Moora college, the attempted closure of the school of the air; the closure then reinstatement of the Community Resource Centres, which affected dozens of small towns across Western Australia; and, of course, declaring Perth non-regional, then realising how that affected the movement of labour and re-declaring it as a regional centre. I really do urge the state Labor government to get on board in addressing this issue.

The Western Australian food and agricultural sector is something that all Western Australians can be proud of. We are a world-class producer of high-quality products. We are the nation's largest export grain producing region. We are one of the most pest and disease free agricultural regions in the world. The Morrison government will continue to listen to our regional and rural communities and will continue to back our farmers and primary industries.

In that light, I would like to acknowledge my colleagues in the other place who do such a power of work in that regard, in particular my good friend Rick Wilson from the electorate of O'Connor, which forms the southern half of the wheat belt, stretching out to Kalgoorlie and down to Esperance and Albany; Melissa Price, the member for Durack, who covers the northern part of the wheat belt and right up to the tip of Western Australia, including our wonderful mining sector; and, of course, Nola Marino down in the south-west corner in the region surrounding the city of Bunbury.

We have an amazing agricultural sector in Western Australia, one that we as Australians can all be very proud of, but, as a Western Australian and someone from the regions I am particularly very proud of. Our agricultural sector has done a power of work through this coronavirus period. Through the lockdowns they have performed exceptionally well in terms of getting food to people, not just in Australia but right round the world. We must always remember when we're dealing with agricultural issues in this place that we produce around three times the food we need in Australia so we need to export our high-quality agricultural products to the world and the world both wants them and needs them. Our export markets rely on the presence of our protein, and our grain in particular, to satisfy their consumer demand to put bread and meat on their tables. We must always remember our very important role in those international supply chains, in getting that high-quality food and fibre to the rest of the world and in being a good international citizen in that regard.