Simon Birmingham SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
2:00 pm
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Resources, Senator Farrell. Yesterday, the minister stated that the Albanese government wished to see more Australian uranium mined and more Australian uranium exported to support zero emissions energy generation throughout the world. Minister, how does the Albanese government plan to achieve the growth in Australian uranium exports? What strategies is the Albanese government pursuing to support Australia's uranium industry and its growth?
Don Farrell SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism
I thank Senator Birmingham for his question. We start the process with one of the finest resources ministers we've ever had.
Senator Cash, you ought to at least appreciate that, for the first time in our history, we have a resources minister from your home state. We've got one of the finest people, with one of the finest minds—
Here we have a fantastic female resources minister from Western Australia. All I'm saying is in answer to your question about what we are doing about—
An honourable senator interjecting
Is it the first time from Western Australia? I don't know about the first time, but she's a very fine female resources minister. So we start our process with this woman. Then we look around the country for where is the best, largest, most successful uranium expansion. It comes from your home state of South Australia, Senator Birmingham.
It does produce good wine. That's true. We got a lot of that wine back into China just recently, Senator Watt. But you are distracting me. We start with a great resources minister and a state with a wonderful resource in the far north of South Australia— (Time expired)
Simon Birmingham SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
2:02 pm
Minister, given Minister King is such an exceptional minister, in your words, and such a champion of the uranium industry and its exports to the world, does Minister King support removal of the moratorium on uranium mining and exporting from her home state of Western Australia?
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
I will just make the point that I think the senator is asking about a state government position.
Simon Birmingham SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
No, I asked about—
Sue Lines President
Senator Birmingham, you are free to stand once the minister has concluded.
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
I understand that question to be about state government legislation. It's not a matter within the minister's portfolio.
Simon Birmingham SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
President, on the point of order, I was very clear in asking about the federal resources minister and her position and her actions as they relates to a ban in her home state which impedes, relating to the primary question, the ability to export more uranium to the world.
Sue Lines President
I am inclined to agree with the response to the point of order as put by Senator Birmingham. The question did relate to exports, which is a federal matter, and it did relate to Minister King.
Don Farrell SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism
2:04 pm
I thank Senator Birmingham for his first supplementary question. What I know about Minister King is that she supports the policies of the Labor Party.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
She's a fine minister.
Don Farrell SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism
She is a fine minister. She supports the policies of the Labor Party and, like all of us in this job, in the Labor Party, we're here because of the Labor Party and we follow the policies and the decisions of the—
Michaelia Cash WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
She doesn't like farmers.
Don Farrell SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism
Well, I completely reject that suggestion—
Don Farrell SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism
Minister King has the greatest respect for farmers, particularly Western Australian farmers, and of course— (Time expired)
Sue Lines President
Senator Birmingham, a second supplementary question?
Simon Birmingham SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
2:05 pm
Minister, given the stated ambitions of the Albanese Labor government to export more Australian uranium to the world, does the government welcome the opportunity provided by the increased use of zero-emissions nuclear energy in so many potential export markets?
Don Farrell SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism
2:06 pm
The ambition of this Albanese Labor government is of course to increase our—
An opposition senator: Prices!
exports—and push up the prices of those exports, of course. We have a situation, Senator Birmingham, where our terms of trade have never been as great as they are at the moment, and the volumes of trade. One of the products we are exporting is uranium. Just a few minutes ago I met with the people from the Port of Newcastle, a wonderful port that's in the process of a massive—
Yes, here we are: Senator Cadell knows all about it, knows all about the Port of Newcastle. We're on the cusp of an amazing expansion under the Albanese Labor government. (Time expired)