Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering for farmers and producers through its diligent work to repair and strengthen trade relationships? How does this differ from other approaches.
Ms COLLINS (Franklin—Minister for Small Business and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) (14:59): I want to thank our terrific member for Gilmore because she supports our farmers and producers in regional Australia, like the people on this side of the House. We're delivering for farmers, producers, businesses and workers through repairing our trading relationships. We're strengthening our international relationships.
I've just come, with Ministers Wong and Farrell, from the signing between Australia and the United Arab Emirates of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement. It was a real privilege to sign on behalf of our government the memorandum of understanding in relation to agriculture. This is a significant win for Australian farmers. It will promote investment in supply chains and help producers and processors to diversify and create value-added products here in Australia.
Indeed, the agreement will eliminate tariffs on over 99 per cent of Australian exports to the UAE by value, including significant agricultural commodities such as meat, dairy, grains and oilseeds, pulses, horticulture and honey. The tariff savings alone are worth over $50 million a year to Australian agriculture. Under the MOU, Australia and the UAE will also encourage and facilitate investment in projects that support sustainable agriculture and food production through best-practice land management, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and the development of climate smart technologies and practices.
This comes just weeks after our government agreed to a timetable with China for the full resumption of Australian live rock lobster exports by the end of the year. When we came to government, we inherited $20 billion worth of trade impediments with our largest trading partner, China. This was a fractured relationship because the Liberals and the Nationals got it that way. But, after our government's hard work, in the month of August alone, Australia exported $1.34 billion of previously affected goods to China. That is incredibly significant. Indeed, last year, Australia exported over 70 per cent of our agriculture, fishery and forestry production to 169 markets globally. This is the most diversified our agricultural trade has ever been.
That is thanks to our government's hard work. We're busy cleaning up the mess left to us by those opposite. We know that the Leader of the Opposition, the Liberals and the Nationals are a risk, and their reckless arrogance is a risk to our trade with our partners because of the way they behaved in government. It's only the Albanese Labor government that is backing Australian farmers and producers with their exports, because we back Australian jobs right across the country.
