Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (18:10): The last shot of World War I was fired at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. There were 300,000 Australians that went to the Great War; 60,000 died and 156,000 were wounded or taken prisoner. More than a third of those who died have no known grave.

In Australia, on the 75th anniversary of the Armistice in 1993, the remains of an unknown Australian soldier, exhumed from a First World War military cemetery in France, were ceremonially entombed in the Australian War Memorial’s Hall of Memory. In July last year, six formerly unknown Australian soldiers were given headstone dedications at Fromelles, including a soldier from my electorate.

James Benson, who was born in Bundaberg, was killed at the Battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916. He was married, employed as a linesman and lived in Cheltenham in South Australia. Private Benson enlisted in the Australian Army on 5 July 1915 and was attached to the 32nd Battalion A Company. The remains of Second Lieutenant Benson were identified in 2016 by the Australian Army’s Unrecovered War Casualties Fromelles project, a team that is trying to identify 250 Australian and British World War I soldiers found in a mass grave that was discovered in 2009 at Pheasant Wood near Fromelles. Second Lieutenant Benson’s name was unveiled at Fromelles at a ceremony as part of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles.

The Battle of Fromelles, west of Lille in France, lasted just 24 hours and was the first major engagement of Australian soldiers on the Western Front in 1916. In the battle, the Australian 5th Division suffered 5,533 casualties in just 24 hours. It is Australia’s bloodiest single day in military history.

I sincerely hope the identification of Second Lieutenant Benson brought some peace and comfort to his family. We have never forgotten the service of Australians who fought and died in the First World War. We should reflect on the sacrifice of Second Lieutenant Benson, who was one of 45,000 who lost their lives in World War I on the Western Front. We honour those men and their families 100 years later by finding out who they were and marking their graves. The Australian Army’s Unrecovered War Casualties Fromelles project team has identified the names of 150 soldiers discovered in 2009, while 70 Australians are still unidentified.

The electorate of Hinkler is fortunate to have a very strong and active veteran population, one that is much larger than average. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs currently provides direct financial support to almost 4,200 Hinkler residents. I would like to make mention of one local veteran, who has been a stalwart of the Bundaberg community for many decades: Tom McLucas OAM. Tom is now 91 and fought in the Second World War in the 2/24 Infantry Battalion. It was one of the four front battalions in the First Battle of Alamein. It was with the 2/48 Battalion, and solely defeated German general Rommel. In the Second Battle of Alamein, 720 of his battalion fought. Only 52 remained standing after the battle.

When he returned home, he devoted himself to the RSL, disabled veterans and the Legacy Pensions Committee for eight years. He spent 11 years as an advocate and was involved at a sub-branch, district, state and national level for 60-plus years. He has been granted honorary RSL state life vice-president, district and Bundaberg sub-branch honorary life vice-president, RSL Gold Badge life membership and Meritorious Service Medal, as well as an Order of Australia Medal, a British Empire Medal and an RSL bicentennial medal.

Tom is currently in hospital after a fall and doing it fairly tough. He is a gentleman that I see at every dawn service and in the afternoon at Burnett Heads, and I certainly wish him well. It is important that we keep the memory alive of service personnel like Tom and educate the next generation about the service and sacrifice made by men and women throughout the theatres of war.

The southern end of the electorate at Hervey Bay has had the honour of being chosen as one of three locations in regional Australia to host the international exhibition, The Belgians have not Forgotten. It was a year ago that I met with Belgian ambassador, His Excellency Jean-Luc Bodson in my office in Canberra to discuss bringing this exhibition to the bay. The ambassador had visited Freedom Park for the Centenary of Anzac memorial in 2014 and was impressed with the proud returned services community in the region. At the ceremony, he said:

We often have Australian visitors to our memorials and shrines, and I assure you that Belgium doesn’t forget.

The exhibition demonstrates that the words spoken by the ambassador still ring true today and that the strong relationship continues between the people of Belgium and the people of Australia. The exhibition features wartime artefacts, photographs, maps and film footage from the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Zonnebeke in Belgium.

I encourage residents to visit the exhibition and tell family and friends about it. It is a very rare opportunity to have an exhibition of this scale in Hervey Bay, and people have already travelled from various locations to see it. I would certainly like to thank all of those involved—the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, the Zonnebeke council, the Flemish government, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Australia and, lastly, the Australian government. Lest we forget.

Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (10:58): It is good to follow on from the previous member because I am here to talk about jobs and job creation. At the end of last year, after a very hard fought battle of more than three years, it came to a momentous end. Christmas came early for the Wide Bay Burnett region with news that the region was successful in its bid to secure the ex-HMAS Tobruk as a military dive wreck for the region. I first spoke about a military dive wreck in my maiden speech in 2013. Since then I have spoken about it on many occasions and to anyone who would listen. So, when the news came through that the region was successful, I and lots of people inside my electorate were absolutely over the moon.

The No. 1 driver behind this campaign, the No. 1 driver to bring the Tobruk to the Wide Bay, has always been about the creation of jobs—much-needed, long-term, sustainable jobs which provide a future for the next generation of job seekers. This dive wreck will bring domestic and international visitors to the region and will no doubt become one of Australia’s premier diving sites, potentially attracting thousands of divers each year, just as it attracted thousands of people to the port of Bundaberg when it arrived in mid-December. It was a stunning sight to see the Tobruk being towed up the Burnett River to its temporary home, while the work to prepare it for scuttling is carried out. I will take this opportunity to encourage everyone who is visiting the region to head out to Burnett Heads to have a look at ex-HMAS Tobruk. I believe that defence assets that are paid for by the Australian people can, and should, continue to serve the community long after they are no longer of use to the military. Tobruk will continue to serve the nation by providing local jobs in the tourism sector.

Wide Bay will not only become the custodians of the ship’s hull, but the rich history of this great ship and the stories of all those who have served in her. Tobruk had provided 34 years of service to Australia, sailing more than 947,000 nautical miles. She was a multipurpose, roll-on roll-off heavy lift ship, capable of transporting soldiers, armoured personnel carriers and tanks, and delivering them to shore via landing craft or directly by beaching. Tobruk was deployed on 26 major operations, including the Sinai Peninsula, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Bougainville, the Middle East, East Timor and the Philippines. She was awarded battle honours for her East Timor service in 1999.

Finally, I want to convey my sincere thanks to the people who helped the region secure Tobruk: Scott Rowe and the members of the regional advisory dive group—the knowledge, passion and persistence of this group played an enormous role in the successful outcome; Fraser Coast Regional Council and Bundaberg Regional Council, which committed $1 million each to the project—special thanks to Chris Loft and Jack Dempsey, the mayors; and, unusually, the Labor Queensland minister for tourism Kate Jones, who provided her support. And I would like to mention Nikki Schulz, a man who calls himself a seed planter who told me four years ago this is a great project, and it has come fruition.

Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (18:07): I rise to speak in support of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Savings Fund Special Account Bill 2016, and to return to the focus to what it should be on, and that is the people that this fund will support and the opportunities it will provide, particularly into my region in Central Queensland.

The NDIS is one of the largest social and economic policy reforms in Australia’s history, and we should continue to be focused on the people it will help. The scheme will support people with disabilities to meet the costs associated with their condition and, importantly, it will empower people with disabilities to make their own decisions about the support they receive. As of June 2016 there were around 30,000 people participating in trials of the scheme across the country. The NDIS Quarterly Report for July-September 2016, released in November last year, stated that $3.3 billion had been committed to help people with disability across the country and 37,721 participants now have plans under the scheme. By 2019-20, there will be an estimated 460,000 Australians with disability being supported by the NDIS.

Queensland represents the third-largest market with around 91,000 participants living with disability and their families benefiting when the NDIS is fully rolled out by July 2019, up from approximately 48,000 people with disability currently receiving funded supports. In my electorate of Hinkler, the scheme will begin rolling out in Bundaberg from 1 October this year and the Fraser Coast from 1 July 2018. The rollout schedule was determined by the Queensland state Labor government, with the state divided into 13 service regions using existing Queensland disability sub-regional areas. The NDIS represents a significant change for people with disability and the disability services sector, and that is why we are introducing the scheme in stages to ensure that it is carefully managed.

People living with disability, their families, their carers and their service providers will all benefit from the NDIS and from the certainty the full scheme provides. Support will go directly to each eligible person, which means the current supports and services will change as participants demand new supports and services. Previously, people with a disability, their families and carers have not been able to exercise extensive choice and control over the supports that they receive. The NDIS will allow them to have that choice and have the services that they want.

There is no doubt that the NDIS will change the landscape of the disability sector. Not only will there be new opportunities, there will also be a new source of demand within the wider economy for disability support services. Providers of disability support services will need to be prepared to be innovative and capitalise on job opportunity growth, because the NDIS ultimately means more jobs.

Last year, a new analysis of the NDIS in Queensland, the Market Position Statement, was released by the National Disability Insurance Agency, NDIA. The Market Position Statement aimed to share information about the NDIS with the marketplace, helping providers to make business decisions about how they can best meet the needs of people living with disability. The report stated that the disability services market in Queensland will grow from around $1.8 billion currently to approximately $4.3 billion in 2020. The NDIS will inject $2.5 billion into the Queensland economy and double the disability services workforce, which will benefit the entire state.

Across my electorate, more than 1,650 jobs are expected to be created when the NDIS is rolled out. The Bundaberg and Maryborough service regions are expected to require the largest proportional workforce increase, as the current estimated workforce is less than 40 per cent of the estimated NDIS workforce. More than 600 jobs are expected to be created in the Bundaberg region and 1,050 in the Maryborough region. The number of people receiving disability support in the Bundaberg region is forecast to grow from 1,500 to 3,300, which is 120 per cent, and in the Maryborough region from 2,200 to 5,100, which is an increase of 132 per cent.

This growth will, in turn, generate jobs, fuel innovation and increase investment, and we need to be ready to capitalise and encourage these job opportunities. The Market Position Statement talks about these opportunities, and I quote:

The NDIA values the role of providers and sees them as a critical part of the NDIS in terms of delivering high quality, person-centred supports to help participants achieve their aspirations.

The NDIA would like to see a market with a diverse array of providers that maximises choice and control for participants but also enables strong links with mainstream services and family and community support to help achieve the overall NDIS aspirations of increased social and economic participation for people with disability.

The report goes on to say:

NDIS-generated growth presents significant opportunities for an expansion in service provision. With this opportunity comes the challenge to deliver high quality, capacity building, value-for-money supports.

Some providers are already embracing this challenge and are looking at new business models and products and exploring new ideas, collaborations, technologies and services that are more responsive to individual choices.

I would encourage all of those economic development agencies in my own electorate of Hinkler—whether they are working with local government or local chambers—to be on the front foot, encouraging people to invest in the region, where we have opportunities to not only increase our local economy but also improve our employment level. I am very supportive of anyone that can bring new business to our region—whether that is local businesses with innovative solutions for disability services or training providers, we need all of that support. This is a growth area in Central Queensland and it is a great opportunity to help people that need disability support and an opportunity for our region to strengthen its economy.

In April last year, the Assistant Minister for Disability Services, my good friend and colleague Jane Prentice and I held a roundtable discussion with local service providers in my electorate. Representatives from service providers, including from Impact, Bridges, Steps and Endeavour, met to discuss the NDIS and what it will mean for Hinkler residents. It was a great opportunity to talk to people at the coalface of disability and mental health services and discuss what they need to be doing right now to capitalise on the opportunities that the NDIS will bring. All stakeholders will need time to build their understanding of their customer base and preferences and position their offerings. But they are already growing and diversifying to meet the new demand. There are around 2,300 registered providers in the NDIS, and about 130 organisations have applied to register as a provider of NDIS supports in Queensland.

The coalition government is committed to adequately and sustainably funding the NDIS. That is why I am speaking on this bill. The Commonwealth will manage the NDIS Savings Fund Special Account in a way that is transparent and quantifiable. In addition to this special account, the Commonwealth is redirecting existing disability related spending and the DisabilityCare Australia Fund to the NDIS rollout. This will come from existing disability funding; the    Commonwealth share of the increase in the Medicare levy through the DisabilityCare Australia Fund; and redirected funding which is currently provided to the states for specialist disability services. This will amount to about $6.8 billion. This does still leave a shortfall of $4.1 billion. It is this government’s job to set aside the remainder needed for the full rollout by 2019-20. This special account is the mechanism for securing that funding shortfall.

And it is smart policy. The Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, through a majority report, recommended that this bill be passed. The special account will be administered by the Department of Social Services, with its funding sitting within the Consolidated Revenue Fund. This will ensure that savings deposited into the special account are not returned to the Consolidated Revenue Fund itself and effectively lost for NDIS purposes. The special account will allow the government, over future budgets, to identify savings from existing programs and set aside those savings to assist in meeting the Commonwealth’s future financial commitments to the NDIS. Effectively, the Commonwealth will, over successive years, put aside savings that are clearly identified, quantified and defined so that the annual funding gap from 2019-20 is met within existing funding. Further, there will be a review of the special savings fund before 1 July 2027. The coalition government is committed to properly, adequately and sustainably funding the NDIS. This measure follows through on that commitment, and I certainly recommend the bill to the House.

Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (16:27): I rise to speak on the report of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was released on 30 November last year. In its report the committee recommends that Australia ratify the TPP. That is a view that is welcomed by the coalition government. There are another five recommendations made in the JSCOT report which are currently being considered by government.

There is no denying that the TPP has been a hot topic over past weeks and months. Whilst it is disappointing that President Trump has withdrawn the US from the TPP at this time, we of course respect the decision of the new US administration. But the TPP is too important as a driver of more Australian jobs not to do all that we can to lock in the benefits of the agreement. The TPP is an agreement of unprecedented scope and ambition. It promises to deliver many benefits for Australian businesses. It will create new market access for Australian exporters and investors, providing preferential access to some of the world’s largest economies. It would support the growth of trade in the region additional to Australia’s existing FTAs and contribute to economic growth and new jobs. Commonly agreed rules would provide greater certainty for business, reduce costs and red tape, and facilitate participation in regional supply chains. It would also address contemporary trade challenges important to business, such as e-commerce and transparency, in ways that they have not previously been addressed in Australian FTAs.

It is indisputable that trade delivers more opportunities for business and more jobs. I am sure it is the case in many regional electorates throughout Australia just as it is my seat of Hinkler that more trade means more jobs. My colleague the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steven Ciobo, has been speaking at length with his TPP counterparts on ways to lock in the benefits of the TPP without the United States, if need be. That has included discussions at the World Economic Forum with trade ministers from Japan, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, New Zealand and Malaysia.

Paths for locking in TPP outcomes will be the subject of discussion over coming months. There are a number of options which are open to us, and there is a shared determination to ensure that the benefits of the TPP are not lost, despite the objections of the opposition—even though the former Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, in 2008 actually said:

Our announcement to join negotiations on the trans-Pacific Partnership is perhaps the most important initiative the Rudd government has taken to fulfil that aim.

Australian farmers and business groups support the government’s efforts not to abandon the TPP as the opposition has. The National Farmers’ Federation chief executive, Tony Mahar, said:

… the benefits of the landmark deal were too significant for Australia’s farming sector to give up.

He said:

The opportunities presented by the TPP have the potential to be transformational for our already-strong export industry.

… Commodities across-the-board stand to gain including red meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables, cotton, wool, sugar, grain and seafood.

In a media release dated 20 January, Mr Mahar said that, if the US pulled out of the TPP, it ‘was not necessarily dead in the water’. Mr Mahar said:

There’s more than one way to skin a cat. While it would be preferable to have the US remain a party the most significant gains for Australia lie with the deals struck with Japan, Mexico, Argentina and Canada.

He said:

To this end we were buoyed by discussions between Prime Minister Turnbull and his Japanese counterpart Prime Minister Abe last weekend on how to progress negotiations.

… We particularly welcome Prime Minister Turnbull’s commitment to ratifying the deal – despite the uncertainty following the result of the US election …

The wine sector said we ‘must do everything in our power to ensure the agreement comes into force’. That is a quote from Tony Battaglene, the Chief Executive of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, in a media release just two weeks ago. It said:

Despite President Trump’s decision not to ratify the TPP at this time, the agreement provides such great opportunities for the Australian wine sector, that we must do everything in our power to ensure the agreement comes into force.

Mr Battaglene said:

The TPP offers tremendous opportunities for our sector and the promise of wealth creation in regional Australia as well as to the national economy …

He went on to say:

This is the first agreement to specifically address significant non-tariff trade barriers restricting our export growth as well as promoting significant opportunities within the region. It also provides a template for future agreements.

The media release said:

Ratification of the Agreement will send a strong message on the importance of the TPP and WFA has called on all parties to get behind the Free Trade agenda.

The worst thing for the prosperity of the Australian people will be to embrace protectionism. We need strong export growth and trade liberalisation through Free Trade Agreements is key to our success.

Further support comes from the Export Council of Australia, which said:

Australia … cannot afford to go backwards on trade.

The following lines are from its media release on 24 January:

In Australia, jobs are best created and protected over the long term through an open and competitive economic system.

Further increasing opportunities for Australian companies to trade and invest around the world is crucial to unlocking our economic potential, and to ensuring jobs for Australians today and tomorrow.

Australia simply cannot afford to go backwards on trade.

…   …   …

In the current international environment, the lack of support for agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership … from the new US administration does not have to mean the end of the agreement. Rather, this can present a new opportunity for Australia and other like-minded nations to take the lead on creating new market openings for our companies, and ensure the jobs and prosperity of tomorrow are as secure as possible.

Australia must therefore continue to pursue new liberalising trade deals, as well as other international agreements that prioritise the interests of prosperity-creating SMEs.

On behalf of all SMEs, the ECA stands behind the Australian government’s focus to pursue an alternate agreement under the TPP framework.

Finally, the peak sugarcane farming group CANEGROWERS said:

… growers were disappointed that US President Donald Trump had chosen to formally withdraw from the 12-nation trade agreement process.

They said:

The big prize that we have lost is an improved framework for selling sugar in the Asia-Pacific for the foreseeable future and the opportunity of moving towards selling up to 500,000 tonnes to the US in the future.

They said:

CANEGROWERS is urging the Australian Government to continue to work to close the TPP deal with the 11 other Pacific nations involved.

… We have been encouraged by the discussions between Australia and Japan recently and the Prime Minister’s talk of a revised TPP…

… This US decision puts greater importance on the other avenues Australia is negotiating for improved trade access – a stronger deal with China, the Asia-focused Regional Cooperative Economic Partnership and free trade agreements with the European Union and United Kingdom.

It is important to remember that uncertainty around the TPP has not stopped the government taking forward its trade agenda.

The Indonesian and Australian governments have agreed to conclude the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement by the end of this year. Australia is pushing for an ambitious Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership—the RCEP. Like the TPP, RCEP is a megaregional trade agreement involving 16 countries, including China, Korea, Japan, India and ASEAN countries. It includes nine of Australia’s 13-largest trading partners. The RCEP countries account for around half the world’s population and a third of the global GDP. A successful RCEP has the potential to boost regional economic confidence and integration. ASEAN, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, is at the centre of the RCEP negotiation. Australia wants to reach a successful conclusion with ASEAN and the other major regional economies of the RCEP agreement: China, Japan, Korea, India and New Zealand. Concluding a comprehensive, forward-looking RCEP agreement will send a strong signal about the economic future of the region.

Considerable progress has been made on the trade and services agreement between 50 economies, with 23 parties, including the EU, and 28 WTO members. The government have also made clear our intention to broaden and deepen our trade and investment relationships with both the EU and the UK. We are continuing to work on a free trade agreement with India. The government will also seek to make the most of the valuable agreements already in place, including the trade agreements with Korea, China and Japan.

I have seen and heard firsthand many of the success stories due to the free trade agreements which we have already signed. In Western Australia, I visited the world’s biggest exporter of rock lobsters: the Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative. Australia’s free trade agreement with China saw the tariff on fresh or chilled rock lobster cut to nine per cent in 2016, and it fell to six per cent on 1 January this year. For the first nine months of 2016, direct Chinese imports of live, fresh and chilled Australian rock lobsters almost trebled compared to the same period last year, reaching $28 million. On 1 January this year, further tariff cuts on more than 7,000 Australian products came into effect, creating more export opportunities for Australian businesses.

These wide-ranging tariff cuts are continuing to deliver a competitive advantage for businesses, including those in my electorate of Hinkler. Bundaberg, in the northern part of my electorate, is now the largest macadamia-growing region in this country. The tariff on shelled macadamias was 30 per cent before KAFTA. It was cut to 12 per cent, and it is now being cut further to six per cent. Almost $10 million worth of macadamias were exported to Korea between January and September in 2016, with Australian exports now triple those of two years earlier. These are just a few of the many benefits Australian businesses are seeing from FTAs. The coalition government will continue to advocate for what is in the national interest; the benefits of the TPP are no different.

Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:43): It is a great pleasure to see you in the chair, Deputy Speaker Coulton. I always enjoy an MPI. It is an interesting process. Certainly, like everyone, I use the normal sort of process. You have a look and you listen to those opposite. You take a few notes for a couple of minutes, you counter that and then you deliver your own message. So I listened very closely to the member for Chifley for 10 minutes. What did I hear? I heard a litany of complaints. I did not hear a single idea—not one. I thought, ‘This is actually a serious issue.’ I know it is in your electorate; it certainly is in mine. I thought that perhaps I could come and hear something important from the member for Chifley, but, no; all we got was a litany of complaints.

Mr Tudge: Don’t have such high expectations.

Mr PITT: No, I will not have high expectations. I certainly will not have them again. The member for Cunningham came in to talk about worker exploitation. But, as you know, Mr Deputy Speaker, the people on this side actually did something about worker exploitation. I know because I was one of them. We delivered Taskforce Cadena. We delivered the Migrant Workers Taskforce. We delivered the extra $20 million to Fair Work to help them crack down on the people that are doing the wrong thing. Now, I did not see any sign of the unions, not one. What we saw from those opposite, when they were in government for many years, were more reports—more reports, more reports, more reports. We have taken real action.

Once again, when we look at the frontbench of those opposite, what we see is the ‘Ministry for Complaints’. I cannot let an opportunity go by. I was in here with the shadow minister for agriculture earlier when he was talking about the backpacker tax. I said to the shadow minister: ‘You’ve really taken an opportunity now. This is about your time in the sun. It’s not about an outcome for the people we are here to represent; it’s about you.’ Where has he been? He has been hiding away in the far corner, with nothing to say, for a long period of time. In fact, he dragged out a list of rural members. He was a few short. He got to 20. It was not quite enough. I did suggest to the shadow minister for agriculture that I would send him a map so he could perhaps use that to help him find his way in rural Australia to actually talk about what agreed positions mean, the NFF—all those types of things. We took months of consideration, months to talk to those stakeholders, and what happens? They blow it up. What do they come up with? 10½ per cent. That did not come from anything real. You just made it up.

Mr Husic: Youth jobs.

Mr PITT: This is about jobs. They took advice from Senator Lambie. Can you believe it? We had the member for Rankin here, that absolute bastion of economic advice, who gave us so many outcomes for this nation! Absolutely terrible. But, when we get around to it, we need to deliver better and stronger economies. How do we do that? We do that with trade. On this side of the House, we focus on things that deliver long-term employment opportunities. We have signed free trade agreements with Japan, South Korea and China. In fact, agriculture, at some $46 billion worth of exports, is now second only to iron ore. That delivers jobs, because, in the regions, they are the things that are important. Whether it is the construction industry, the agricultural industry, the education sector or services, it is about the more that we can deliver in trade, because trade equals jobs and more trade equals more jobs. They are the things that we intend to be focused on and we will continue to deliver. When you come from a regional area, as many of those on this side and the other side do—as I know you know, Deputy Speaker Coulton—it is a very important issue for youth.

When we talk about the Youth Employment Package, I think it is important that those opposite support it, but in fact they do not. I have been advised that they will not be supporting the youth jobs package of $840 million over four years. As someone who was an employer, who came through the system, was an apprentice, worked his way through to become a tradesperson, put himself through university, bought farms, owned small businesses and actually employed people, I know people need to have those basic skills. Every employer I talk to tells me that they will give our youth an opportunity, but they need to have the basic skills. They need to show up on time. They need to be prepared for work. They need to want to be there. They need to be willing to put their phone down for a few hours. This program will provide those opportunities: six weeks of training to get them job ready, to prepare; work experience, with 30,000 internships for up to 25 hours per week; $200 extra for jobseekers; $1,000 up-front for business, for the risks that they take, for the things that they have to do. It is not free to employ people; you have to put importance and value into what they do. There is also the youth bonus wage subsidy: $6½ thousand if I hire an eligible job-ready jobseeker. Deputy Speaker Coulton, I know you come from an area where this is an issue.

We are doing real things as a government. As a coalition government, we are delivering for our people, we are delivering for the regions and we are certainly delivering for those who are seeking a job. The Youth Employment Package is certainly a great component of that.

Mr Pitt (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:25): I rise to speak on the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Country of Origin) Bill 2016. I would also say how pleased I am that it is finally coming to fruition, after some time. I am sure you are very well aware, Mr Deputy Speaker, coalition MPs and senators, particularly those such as John ‘Wacka’ Williams—and many others—have been fighting for more accurate country-of-origin food labelling for more than a decade. In fact, Senator Williams, I think, attributes his somewhat declining and receding hairstyle to beating his head against a wall for more than 10 years over just this issue.

Over the years there have been numerous inquiries and reports. I will not go into the specifics of every single report or review but between 2003 and 2013 there were four inquiries, four reports tabled two reviews. In March 2014 the parliament’s Standing Committee on Agriculture and Industry agreed to undertake another one. The committee released its report A Clearer message for consumers in October last year. This committee was of the opinion that any country-of-origin food-labelling regime should not present an impediment to importers and/or provide non-tariff trade protection to our industries but it should provide clear information to consumers who wish to make an independent choice to support either Australian farmers or food manufacturers. The report also highlighted consumer support for local produce, stating:

The Committee acknowledges that many consumers want to support Australian businesses by purchasing Australian made products—consumers express a strong preference to support local industries including food processing and manufacturing.

The issue of berries in 2015 increased public awareness and support for something that the farming and fishing industries have been long calling for: a level playing field when it comes to labelling. The coalition government has taken action to support our farmers and they give consumers real choice. At the end of the day, it is quite simple: Australians deserve to be able to make informed decisions and to know exactly what it is they are buying at their local supermarket. We want Australians to have confidence in knowing where their food is coming from.

Research commissioned by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science in 2015 looked at the value Australian consumers place on country-of-origin information when purchasing food. It found that being able to identify the country of origin of food was either important or very important to 74 per cent of consumers surveyed. Many consumers are interested in not just where something was made or packed but also how much of the food was grown in this country. Consumers want—and they deserve—peace of mind about labels. A claim that a product is ‘made in’ or is ‘a product of’ Australia in the new system will ensure that that is the case. In saying the product is made from ‘local and imported ingredients’ will, quite simply, not cut it.

Consumer dissatisfaction in the country-of-origin labelling system has been evident for many years. Most recently, the response to a Colmar Brunton online survey mirrored that of the CHOICE campaign earlier in 2015, which generated over 26,000 responses. It found that almost three-quarters of consumers believe that changes to country-of-origin labelling were necessary. That is almost as many, Mr Deputy Speaker, as I am sure you get to your online surveys. However, the importance of easy-to-find labels was indicated, in the Colmar Brunton research, by the clear preference of participants for the labels that included visual elements, particularly the label option that combined text statements with visual representations via the kangaroo logo and bar chart.

The participants in the same study were asked to estimate the proportion of time they spent during a regular but hypothetical 60-minute grocery shop, reading the back of the label to find where products have been made or processed or where ingredients come from. Their time amounted to eight per cent of shopping time, or five minutes in a typical hour-long shop. This is time that could potentially be saved if label information was more easily identifiable. Thankfully, the new food labelling system will quickly and easily show consumers where products are made, grown or packaged. The new labels for food will include a bar chart and words to indicate the proportion of Australian ingredients in the food.

All food for retail sale in Australia requires a country-of-origin statement, but there are additional graphic and information requirements mandated for labels for priority food. Importing ingredients and simply slicing or packing them here will no longer qualify for a ‘made in Australia’ claim. The bill will simplify the tests used to justify a country of origin ‘made in’ claim by clarifying what ‘substantial transformation’ means and removing the 50 per cent production cost test. The changes are aimed at providing businesses with increased certainty about what activities constitute or do not constitute substantial transformation. They will make it clear that importing ingredients and undertaking minor processes that merely change the form or appearance of imported goods are not sufficient to justify the ‘made in’ claim.

The 50 per cent production cost test is an unnecessary burden on businesses and it means little to consumers. The test is difficult to administer, given the complexities of sourcing components through the global supply chain and the fluctuations in input prices and exchange rates. The removal of the 50 per cent production cost test will significantly reduce the regulatory burden for all businesses, not just food businesses. It is the main regulatory offset against the added costs imposed on food businesses by the information standard. The decision regulation impact statement estimated the total savings from removal of the production cost test at $49 million per year, or $550 million over a 20-year period in present value terms.

Research has shown that identifying the country of origin is the most important piece of information for consumers when it comes to food, and it can influence buyers’ decisions. The value consumers place on origin information can vary between food types, depending on the level of processing. Country-of-origin information is valued more for fresh and less processed food. This is supported by an international literature review of country-of-origin food labelling, which cited different studies in which country of origin was shown to be one of the most important cues demanded by consumers on meat products.

A comprehensive consultation with consumers, growers and businesses meant there was ample opportunity for people to have their say on the proposed labels. The green and gold triangle design was the overwhelming preference of more than 17,800 respondents to the government’s food labelling community survey. I thank those people who completed the survey and had their opinions heard. After all, the labelling is supposed to make it easier for consumers, not more confusing.

Importantly, the new food labelling system will not impose an excessive burden on businesses. At June 2014, there were over 17,300 food retailers in Australia, including almost 10,000 supermarket and grocery stores; around 4,700 fresh meat, fish and poultry retailers; and 2,500 fruit and vegetable retailers. There are also over 13,000 food and beverage manufacturing businesses in Australia. Bakery product manufacturers make up the largest proportion at some 45 per cent, followed by beverage manufacturers at 19 percent. Each of the other sub-sectors accounts for one to 10 per cent of food manufacturers, including meat manufacturers, fruit and vegetable processing, dairy product manufacturing, sugar and confectionery manufacturing, grain mill and cereal, seafood processing, and oil and fat manufacturing. Agricultural food production is the other key player in the food industry, with over 133,000 businesses.

While the reforms began on 1 July 2016, businesses will have up to two years to transition to the new arrangements and incorporate them into routine label changes, and all stock in trade can see out its shelf life. The government has developed an online self-assessment tool for businesses specifically to help them determine their new labels. Businesses can download the new labels using this tool. There is also a style guide and other information available to help businesses understand the changes.

To support the effective implementation of the reforms, the coalition government has provided the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission with additional funding of $4.2 million over five years to undertake compliance and enforcement activities in relation to these new requirements. The government is also funding $15.2 million for an information campaign to ensure consumers and businesses understand the revised framework. However, the consumer benefit from the time saving that will be generated from the visual elements of the label is estimated to far outweigh the cost to industry of providing them with that information.

The new labels are expected to appear on shop shelves later this year, so keep an eye out for them; they are around. But Australians also have to get on board. You should always ‘shop local’ and always read the label. I always encourage constituents in my electorate of Hinkler to ‘shop local’ wherever possible, and why wouldn’t they? There is so much on offer from our local businesses, whether it is macadamia nuts, avocados, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, limes, watermelons, pumpkins, rockmelons or strawberries, just to name a few. I even have a note here saying I can expand on this list if I wish.

We have several major food processing facilities in my electorate, including AustChilli, which has been featured on My Kitchen Rules; Simpson Farms, which was recently featured on ABC Landline with Pip Courtney; the Australian Ocean King Prawn Company in Hervey Bay and Urangan Fisheries. Those businesses export to the world and they employ hundreds of our local people. They, like other local companies around this great nation, deserve our support.

Australian food producers exporting their products can also use the new domestic label overseas, and they can do so proudly. The reforms to country-of-origin labelling comply with Australia’s international trade obligations. The coalition government has consulted with trading partners throughout the development of the reforms and will continue to work closely with them.

There is no doubt that our domestic product is in high demand. You only have to look at the success of free trade agreements with China, Japan and South Korea. Recently, I hosted a seminar on the Sunshine Coast to inform businesses of how they can take advantage of those FTAs. I would like to thank my colleagues the member for Fisher, Andrew Wallace, and the member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien, firstly for their hospitality and secondly for their attendance and keen interest in the FTAs and what they can do for businesses in their electorates. The CEO of Sunshine Coast exporter Nutworks, Kylie Watson, spoke about her company’s experience following the reduction in Chinese tariffs on Australian macadamias. This was mandated, of course, under CHAFTA, the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. She told the seminar that there had been an increase in demand for Australian macadamia products in China and if it were not for the FTA the costs would make it impossible for her compete with other countries.

I can also say that, most recently, this year my own electorate in the region has become the biggest producer of macadamia nuts in this country. They have far outstripped expectations. They are going incredibly well and, significantly, they are going very, very well because of the FTAs with those three countries.

I also recently had the opportunity to visit the Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative facility in North Fremantle, Western Australia, which is a long way from home and which is the world’s biggest exporter of rock lobster—right here in Australia, in the west. With a membership of 200 fishermen, the co-op employs 350 Australians and currently sells around $450 million worth of rock lobsters each year. Australia’s free trade agreement with China, in force since December last year, has seen the tariff for fresh or chilled rock lobster cut to nine per cent this year and it will fall again to six per cent in just four more months, on 1 January 2017. For the first six months of 2016, direct Chinese imports of live, fresh and chilled Australian rock lobster more than trebled compared to the same period last year to reach $20.7 million. Continuing tariff cuts under ChAFTA for these and many other Australian exports will boost trade opportunities leading to sales growth for Australian businesses abroad and increased jobs here at home to meet this demand.

A little closer to my own electorate, my colleague the member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, and I visited tropical fruit farmers in Central Queensland who are interested in new market opportunities in Asia. Mangoes are an important fruit export for Queensland, and the China-Australia FTA has already cut the tariff for Australian mangoes from 15 per cent to nine per cent. The trade data shows that, in the early part of this year, Chinese imports of fresh Australian mangoes more than doubled compared to the previous growing season. This meant that Australia overtook Thailand as China’s principal supplier of mangoes in the first half of 2016. I am sure you will agree this is a fantastic result.

Elsewhere, under the Korea-Australia FTA, the 30 per cent tariff which Korea charges on shelled macadamias is down to 12 per cent already. These tariff cuts contributed to a tripling of macadamia exports to Korea in the first half of 2015 compared to 2014 and that higher export level has been maintained into the first half of this year. While it might have taken a while to get to this point, consumers will be the overall winners in having the new country of origin labelling systems and I cannot wait to see those on the shelves. When we talk about FTAs, when we talk about Australian products, there is no greater reflection, there is no greater introduction to an Australian product than actually using it, seeing it, tasting it.

On my most recent visit to China, I walked through the Guangzhou airport, which is obviously a very busy airport in China. There was a small fruit stall at the Guangzhou airport and I thought to myself ‘Here is an opportunity just to see what it is that they are selling in China, in Guangzhou.’ Much to my surprise, I picked up a mandarin from 2PH Farms, which is a very large citrus farm in Queensland. There were 2PH products, mandarins, right there in Guangzhou China. Through an interpreter, we took the opportunity to have a discussion with the vendor, who informed us that Australia products sell out not in two hours, not in one hour but in 30 minutes. They last just 30 minutes on the shelves. I would just like to say that this is a great bill for consumers and I commend the bill to the House.

Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (12:14): I rise to update the chamber on the activities within the trade portfolio, particularly in areas of regional Australia. Mr Deputy Speaker Hastie, I am sure that you, as a proud Western Australian, are very well aware how important trade is to this nation. Australia is a trading nation, and the message is very, very simple: trade in this country equals jobs. More trade equals more jobs. That is the wholehearted focus of this government, to ensure we can provide jobs and jobs growth—not only in the cities but in the regional areas. Trade is an incredibly important part of that growth.

Across the domestic area we have hosted a number of free trade agreement seminars. The intention of these seminars is to provide information to small- and medium-sized businesses as to how they can be involved, particularly in the Asian country free trade agreements. We have signed free trade agreements with South Korea, with Japan and with China. They have been extraordinarily successful, but we need to ensure that Australian exporters are aware of the activities that they need to undertake to absolutely maximise the potential for their businesses under these arrangements.

The FTA seminars are a way to actually ensure they have that information available and, most importantly, that they issue what is called a certificate of origin at the time that they provide their goods and exports into these nations. Without the certificate of origin they do not get the tariff benefits that they should. Certainly, it has been quite a surprise to me that there are some areas where the uptake has been low. But there have been enormous improvements.

On the Sunshine Coast I was welcomed by the member for Fisher, Andrew Wallace, and the member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien, and, of course, Kylie Watson, who is the CEO of the successful Sunshine Coast exporter Nutworks, at a recent FTA seminar. She spoke about her company’s experience following the reduction in Chinese tariffs for Australian macadamias. I am someone who comes from what is now the largest region for growing macadamias in this country. It is an incredibly important export and it has been an absolute success under the ChAFTA. Kylie spoke very highly of the success they have had. This is about real people who provide the sources of their exports and their business expertise at FTA seminars across the country.

At a seminar in Melbourne I was joined by Simon Vogrinec who, with his wife Michelle, is a successful Melbourne skin-care manufacturer and exporter—Gaia Skin Naturals. He spoke for some time about how his family business had benefited from tariff reductions secured as part of the FTAs. Simon’s quotes included:

Where the FTAs have come through, what we’ve seen is about a 36 percent increase. It’s quite significant growth for us – just in those market places.

I am sure that every business you are aware of, Mr Deputy Speaker Hastie, would like a 36 per cent increase—a 36 per cent increase! Simon continued:

To still be experiencing double-digit and triple-digit growth this far into our journey I think is exceptional, because it’s enabled us to grow and enabled our supply chain to grow.

So I would encourage all of my colleagues, regardless of which side of the chamber they are on, to get people involved in the FTA seminars. They provide good practical advice about how to ensure that exporting businesses are receiving the absolute maximum benefit of what has been negotiated in their interests.

I was recently in China, at Guangzhou airport. Just as a practical example, as we walked through the airport at Guangzhou there was a small fruit stall, a fruit seller. I thought, ‘I’ll just have a quick look at this.’ And, lo and behold, there were mandarins from 2PH, a Central Queensland company that grows citrus, provided into Guangzhou airport. Fortunately, through a translator, we were able to determine that Australian fruit and Australian products at this stall sell out not in three hours, not in two hours and not in one hour but in 30 minutes. It is such a highly-regarded product in China that it lasts just 30 minutes on the shelves of these small domestic facilities.

Another success story from your area, Mr Deputy Speaker, is the Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-Operative. It is just a magnificent cooperative. Its greatest line, I believe, is the fact that they support 350 families. That is who they employ—350 families. They have a live lobster facility within the grounds of China’s second-largest airport. It makes it the first and only Australian business to own holding tanks for live seafood in China. It is an incredible success story: almost half a billion dollars’ worth of exports every single year.

So they now have live tanks in Western Australia and live tanks in Guangzhou, which gives them the capacity to deliver an absolutely premium product to Chinese consumers. Can you imagine, Mr Deputy Speaker, being able to knock on a door in Guangzhou, in Shanghai or in other cities throughout China and receive, alive and fresh, Australian rock lobster for a premium price? It is a high-quality product—it is safe, it is lean, it is green and it is certainly what the consumer in Asian markets is after.

We need to continue to negotiate good agreements for our country. It is in our best interests and it will create more jobs.

Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (11:21): Can I say that the third annual statement on international investment in Australia, which was presented to the House yesterday by my colleague the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steve Ciobo, gives a snapshot of the latest trends in Australia’s international investment position. The total value of foreign investment in Australia stood at $3 trillion at the end of 2015, an increase of 7.9 per cent from 2014. The five largest sources for stock of foreign investment in 2015 were the United States, with a value of $860 billion; the United Kingdom, with a value of $500 billion; Belgium, valued at $238 billion; Japan, valued at $199 billion; and Singapore, valued at $98.6 billion. Investment from China was valued at $74.9 billion, while investment from India was valued at $11.6 billion. The mining industry accounted for the largest share of the stock of direct foreign investment in Australia, valued at $295 billion or 40.1 per cent. It was followed by the manufacturing industry, valued at $86 billion, and the real estate industry, valued at $64 billion or 8.7 per cent.

Australia is a very large country, as I am sure you know, Mr Deputy Speaker. We are the sixth largest landmass in the world and our economy is the 13th largest, but we have a small population, which means that we need to tap into other countries’ savings. Australia has relied on foreign investment for over two centuries to meet the shortfall of domestic savings against domestic investment needs. Foreign investment helps Australia reach its economic potential by providing capital to finance new industries, enhance existing industries and boost infrastructure, productivity and employment opportunities in the process.

There is no more important issue in my region—and I am sure yours, Mr Deputy Speaker—than employment. The high growth supported by foreign investment pays dividends for all Australians by increasing tax revenues to federal and state governments and increasing the funds available to spend on hospitals, schools, roads and other essential services. Foreign investment has other benefits beyond injecting new capital. By bringing in new business with new connections in different markets, it opens up additional export opportunities, boosting our overall export performance. It also encourages competition and increased innovation by bringing in new technologies and services to the Australian market.

But why do they want to come here? Why do they want to invest in Australia? There are a number of reasons. Firstly, Australia has experienced 25 years of uninterrupted annual growth since 1990-91. That did not happen by accident. We have a highly skilled workforce and our location has strong geographic, trade and cultural links with the growing Indo-Pacific region. We have strategically located ports with well planned rail and road transport networks and efficient logistics chains. It is these qualities that have attracted foreign countries to invest in Australia for many years.

In my own electorate of Hinkler, the German company Knauf is building a plasterboard manufacturing factory at the Bundaberg Port. Civil works began on 1 February on a plant worth more than $70 million that is expected to create around 200 jobs during construction and around 70 permanent positions once completed. The Bundaberg facility, which is expected to be operational by the beginning of 2017, will be the company’s third in Australia, with manufacturing plants in Sydney and Melbourne, but it certainly is the first in regional Australia. Knauf is a major supplier of plasterboard and associated products to the lightweight construction industry. The company began in 1932 and has grown, with more than 220 facilities, 70 quarrying operations and 23,000 employees in over 60 countries. The project at the Bundaberg Port will also include gypsum handling and processing facilities to support plasterboard production and for the sale of gypsum into the agricultural sector. For those who know the Bundaberg region or the Hinkler electorate, it is one of the largest horticultural producing areas in this country. We are the largest producers of heavy vegetables, and to have a company that can import lime directly and make it into a pelletised product at a much-reduced cost will be a large benefit for local farmers and our agricultural producers. It is this type of investment that we need to encourage, particularly into regional Australia.

Whilst we recognise the benefits of foreign investments in Australia, I also acknowledge community concerns about foreign ownership of Australian assets. I want to reassure people that there are appropriate checks and measures in place to ensure foreign investment proposals are consistent with Australia’s national interest. The government reviews major foreign investment proposals on a case-by-case basis through the Foreign Investment Review Board. The board examines significant foreign investment applications that fall within the scope of Australia’s foreign investment policy and the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975, and makes recommendations to government on those proposals. The review system allows the government to consider these community concerns around foreign ownership of certain assets when assessing Australia’s national interest. The national interest test also recognises the importance of Australia’s market-based system, where companies are responsive to shareholders and where investment and sales decisions are driven by market forces rather than external, strategic or noncommercial considerations. It is also important to remember that any foreign companies that invest in Australia have to follow our rules regarding employment, employment law and taxation, just as a few examples. Around 51 per cent of foreign direct investment over the past five years has been reinvested in Australia.

Australia needs to ensure that we remain competitive with other countries now vying for their share of that investment. There are talks of the United States and the United Kingdom cutting their company tax rate to lure foreign investments to their shores. We need to continue to be seen as an attractive investment opportunity for foreign investment, but we must also keep true to our values. That means ensuring that we always act in the national interest, which we will.

Can I just add, in terms of investment into our nation, there are people who have invested here for many years. In fact, they have held those holdings in terms of farms and agricultural producers for some generations. It is important that we as a government continue to focus on what is important to them and ensure that their investment continues to provide a return and to employ Australians. In that case, there is nothing more urgent in the Australian Senate than the backpacker tax right now. Mr Deputy Speaker, I am sure you know, as I know from my agricultural producers, those producers who are out there earning a dollar and employing Australians simply do not care about the political process in this country. They want a result, they need stability, they need certainty and it needs to be provided as soon as humanly possible. With that, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will conclude my remarks. Thank you for the opportunity.

Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (19:00): I rise to speak about a number of fantastic things that are happening in my electorate of Hinkler because this government is delivering. Last Friday I launched my annual shop local campaign, calling on local residents to support local businesses this Christmas. The #bundybayandbush campaign promotes the benefits of shopping locally. Buying and spending locally starts a cycle that will benefit everyone in the Hinkler electorate. Supporting our local businesses and being tourists in our own backyards injects money and confidence into the local economy. This then helps businesses create jobs and opportunities for current and future generations.

For anyone who might be listening, on the off-chance they are near a radio or online, who does not know much about the electorate, let me tell you what a wonderful place it is. Hinkler is home to some of Queensland’s best natural holiday destinations,. Known as the ‘gateway to the Great Barrier Reef’, the Bundaberg region is Australia’s premier location for observing nesting sea turtles. It is turtle season right now at Mon Repos beach, where the largest concentration of marine turtles nest on the eastern Australian mainland. It also has the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the South Pacific region. You can go out with the rangers from the Mon Repos Turtle Centre and you can see these majestic creatures laying their clutches. Early in the new year you could be lucky enough to see the hatchlings emerge and make their journeys to the ocean.

Hervey Bay, at the southern end of the electorate, is regarded as one of the best places in the world to watch humpback whales. The safe, sheltered waters provided by Lady Elliot Island, Lady Musgrave Island and Fraser Island make the Hinkler area a launching pad to an aquatic paradise year-round for scuba diving, for sailing, for water sports and for fishing.

Some of the other great tourism opportunities in my electorate include the Bundaberg rum distillery, which also includes their new visitor experience, and the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks factory, the home of the world famous Bundaberg ginger beer. This Christmas I want to encourage my constituents to get out and check out these tourist hotspots for themselves, and to tell as many people as possible so that they may also want to come and visit.

As members of parliament, we can be great advocates and great ambassadors for our regions. But so can our constituents. For the launch of my shop local campaign I had the fantastic support of well-known Bundaberg business owner Dale Rethamel. Dale knows firsthand the importance of community supporting local business. He has owned his business for a decade—10 years—and is building a new facility using local contractors. He can see the potential for growth in our region, and he is literally putting his money where his mouth is. Dale knows that if people spend locally, then businesses can invest, they can expand, they can hire more staff, they can support sporting and community groups and, in his words, ‘the wheels will keep spinning’. So Dale himself shops locally; he encourages his staff to do the same. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dale, as well as Kay McCotter, Linda Carsley, Larry Burch, Craig Van Rooyen and Brian and Jill Perry for their continued support of the shop local campaign.

Small and medium businesses are the engine room of our nation. Many are family run—run by mums and dads, by aunts and uncles and siblings—and they contribute some $340 billion to the economy, including to regional economies right across this country. There are an estimated 8,541 small businesses within the Hinkler electorate, and across Australia small businesses employ more than four million people. They need our support, and I hope that my constituents do so during this festive season.

Over the past few weeks and months I have had the opportunity to see firsthand how the coalition government continues to deliver for communities like mine. The Stronger Communities Program has been a great success in my region. The program allocates each federal electorate $150,000 over two years, with eligible community groups applying for grants of between $5,000 and $20,000 for small capital projects. All applications need to commit at least matching funding or in kind contributions, and it has been a great success. In my electorate, the successful recipients have used those funds for a wide variety of projects—from barbecue trailers to kitchen upgrades and the replacement of vital equipment. The Stronger Communities Program has been a real boost to community groups and organisations that would otherwise struggle to generate the funding for this type of program. Mr Deputy Speaker, I know that you have done a lot of fundraising yourself. That is a lot of sausage sizzles and a lot of lamingtons to raise up to $5,000 or $20,000.

On Saturday in Bundaberg I saw the Australian Sugar Cane Railway’s new tamping machine, purchased with their Stronger Communities funding, in action. The two-kilometre rail track has flooded twice, costing the not-for-profit group considerable time and money to repair. The tamping machine will dramatically reduce the time and backbreaking work in replacing sleepers and any repairs required. It is a bit like coming home when you go to a group like this, made up of retired tradespeople, engineers and operators. The Sugar Cane Railway is a wonderful tourist attraction in our region. It has carried more than 540,000 passengers—half a million—since it began in 1988, and this new equipment will see the railway well into the future. The new machine, which packs the underside of the sleepers, has made a huge difference in maintenance of the track. Previously it took some three days for a gang of up to eight men or women to replace 80 sleepers. The machine can pack approximately 100 in an hour with just two people operating the machine. I saw a demonstration on the weekend. It is a big difference to use a tamping machine compared to the 15-kilo jackhammers that they have used previously. It is a long way from a pickaxe, which they used to use quite regularly. The concrete sleepers—which are made at another local business, the Isis Central Sugar Mill, in their sleeper-manufacturing plant—have a much longer life span than the timber ones.

Last week I also met with Creative Regions, a local arts organisation which hosts community events and has developed a range of major arts and cultural projects designed to engage communities. They purchase low-cost equipment to host pop-up events in the Bundaberg region. Each kit includes portable sound, lighting, furniture and marquees, and reduces the cost of hosting pop-up events. They will be made available to community groups. I have had the opportunity to tour the facilities of Creative Regions, including their pop-up shop, the artist in residence department, workshop space and a meeting room for community use.

I have also met with the Hervey Bay Amateur Fishing Club to check out their new purpose-built barbecue trailer. All of these have been supported and helped to be funded through the Stronger Communities grants. The trailer will allow the club to run sausage sizzles to raise more funds so it can host community fishing education clinics to promote best practice techniques in fishing for all ages from juniors to grandparents. The club will also lend the trailer to other community groups for use by them for other fundraising activities. The club has had success in encouraging mature-age people, as well as families with young children, to go out, go fishing and enjoy an improved, more active and healthier lifestyle in the outdoors. The Hervey Bay Amateur Fishing Club was incorporated in 1975 and currently has over 107 financial members. The members have up to 30 years experience of local fishing, and they actively promote recreational fishing within the Fraser Coast.

While we are in Hervey Bay, the Hervey Bay Surf Life Saving Club was able to upgrade its kitchen facilities and provide a shaded outdoor area thanks to its Stronger Communities grants. The upgrade means the clubhouse can be hired out for functions, which will provide increased revenue to support the club’s lifesaving activities such as the purchase of emergency first aid and rescue equipment. As is the case in many regional areas—as I know you are aware, Mr Deputy Speaker—the local surf club is a hub for local and surrounding communities, with the facilities being accessed extensively for functions, education programs and social gatherings. The Hervey Bay Surf Life Saving Club clubhouse is used three days a week to provide a social outing for Indigenous elders, including a meal prepared in the kitchen, and the upgrade that has been provided will allow this to continue.

The shaded outdoor area is also a priority for the club, as it will host the 2017 junior state championships, which will bring an influx of people to the region. When I say ‘an influx’, I mean thousands. The junior state championships in Queensland for surf lifesaving are an enormous event. The new shaded area will protect nippers from the sun during training, and it will feature activities and provide an additional space from which to watch surf events.

Last, but definitely not least, I want to speak about the great job that Global Care Bundaberg is doing in providing for the less fortunate in our community. It will use its Stronger Communities grant to purchase a coldroom so it can give fresh fruit and vegetables in its food parcels, which it has provided for the last nine years. The organisation provides food hampers to about 30 families a week and low-cost groceries to approximately 100 families, but demand, unfortunately, is growing at about 10 per cent a week.

The common thread that ties all of these projects together is that they benefit the community in one way or another, and these groups and organisations are using their funds to purchase equipment locally and are hiring local contractors, showing their support for local businesses.

It is this coalition government that is putting communities first, through funding provided through the Stronger Communities Program and by the actions we are taking as a government. We are delivering for communities. We are enabling positive change. Mr Deputy Speaker, I know you are a strong supporter of the communities grants program. I look forward, if there is any capacity, to continuing it in its current form. I think that would be greatly appreciated. I know you, as have others, have spoken to the shareholding minister, Senator Nash. This is a great program. I would like to see it extended into the future, if possible. It is a lot of sausages. The capacity to actually provide these funds in the short term is of great advantage to them, and I thank you.

Mr PITT (Hinkler—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (18:27): It is a great pleasure to be here finally speaking about this matter. The Battle of Long Tan took place on 18 August 1966, before I was born—well before I was born. It was the most costly single battle fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War. It involved 105 Australians and three New Zealanders from D-Company 6RAR and more than 2,000 enemy troops. A total of 17 Australians were killed in action; 25 were wounded, one of whom later died from his wounds.

I, like many others in this place, have met many veterans, and many of them from the Vietnam War. In fact, Delta Company actually had a reunion couple of years ago at the small Toogoom RSL sub-branch in my electorate. It was very well attended, well turned out. They are still a very tight group of individuals. This has taken far too long, and many of their number have actually passed on due to natural causes. I would like to mention at this stage the enigmatic Buddy Lea, a very well-known veteran who we lost a couple of years ago. He was one of my constituents, whom I got on incredibly well with. He was a force of nature, Buddy Lea; an absolute force of nature.

Delta Company were greatly assisted by an ammunition resupply by RAAF helicopters, close fire support from New Zealand’s 161 field battery, together with additional artillery support from the Australian Task Force Base at Nui Dat, and the arrival of reinforcements in APCs as night fell. There is no more entertaining discussion than talking to the gentleman from Delta Company and the APCs about who was the best on the day, who arrived and who did what. It is certainly something I am sure they argue about and discuss for long hours into the night.

I took up the fight for former constituent and retired Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith when I was elected in 2013. It is a fight that has taken 50 years to resolve. The previous member for Hinkler, Mr Paul Neville, had presented Harry with the Star of Gallantry on 9 March 2011, which had been upgraded from the Military Cross after many years of campaigning for better recognition of Long Tan veterans. In my maiden speech I gave Harry this commitment:

We will find a way to recognise his soldiers. As a nation, we are indebted to Harry and to his team. We live our lives in this wonderful country because of their sacrifice.

On 1 September 2014 I moved a PMB calling for justice, recognition and acknowledgment for the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Long Tan, and it was well supported by those opposite. I said in that speech:

Fifty years is ample time to do what is right. We are the government of the day, and, in my opinion, an injustice has been done that must be addressed.

Finally, on 10 August 2016, just before the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, the Minister for Defence Personnel, Dan Tehan, announced that he would recommend that 10 soldiers be awarded a military honour or have their existing honour upgraded after 50 years.

At the service last week at Government House, Medals of Gallantry were awarded to Lieutenant Adrian Roberts, Sergeant Frank Alcorta—now a constituent of mine in Hinkler and a well-known Northern Territorian—and Lance Corporal Barry Magnussen, deceased. Commendations for Gallantry were awarded to Second Lieutenant Gordon Sharp, deceased, and privates Neil Bextrum, Ron Brett, deceased, Ian Campbell, William Roche, Geoffrey Peters and Noel Grimes. I was privileged to have some small part in assisting Harry, by bringing his plight to the attention of the federal government—although he did a pretty damn good job of that himself, I have to say—its ministers and members of parliament. And, at long last, justice, recognition and acknowledgement have finally been delivered.

On a personal note, I would say about Harry Smith—who I got to know very well over recent years—that, if you look up ‘resilience’ in the dictionary, you will see a picture of this man. He is dogmatic. He is determined. He is tough. He is irrepressible. In fact, he is just downright bloody-minded. He is one of the most determined individuals I have ever come across. To maintain the rage for this long and to get an outcome, is, I think, an absolute credit to him. It is his determination that allowed this to happen, just as it did at Long Tan, to get the best outcome he possibly could for his soldiers and the people who relied on him. I think this is a great reflection on Harry and the rest of his troops.

The enduring photo that I will recall is not the one from Long Tan or the photo in the rubber plantation that is so famous to most Australians; it is actually a picture of Lieutenant Colonel retired Harry Smith on the front page of the local phone book, standing on the beach at Hervey Bay in absolute joy. I certainly commend this motion to the House.