Mr FORREST (2:36 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Trade. Would the minister inform the House how the government is assisting Australian farmers, especially those from the great Victorian wheat belt of Mallee, to export their commodities overseas?

Mr VAILE (Minister for Trade) —Mr Speaker, as you are the next-door neighbour of the member for Mallee, I am sure you are also interested in the answer to this question, given that both your electorates, and particularly the electorate of Mallee, earn hundreds of millions of dollars in export earnings for Australia and create many thousands of jobs in that part of Australia. During the course of this year Australia has been instrumental in securing an historic agreement to eliminate global agricultural export subsidies. By stealing our export markets and reducing international prices, export subsidisers for decades have severely damaged Australian farm exports, including dairy, beef, sugar and wheat. While I am on the subject of wheat, I would also like to join my colleagues in recognising the delegation from the Iraqi Grains Board who are visiting Australia at the moment. I welcome them to our country and wish them all the best during their stay in Australia.

Analysis shows that ridding the world of export subsidies would increase Australian dairy exports by more than $600 million. Ridding the world of export subsidies would increase Australian sugar exports immediately by $40 million. As chair of the Cairns Group, we are determined to open up new farm export markets in the current round of global trade negotiations. An ambitious outcome would create important new export opportunities and jobs—more jobs, as our government has been committed to over the last eight years—in Australia, particularly in the Australian farm sector. The World Bank has estimated that the global economy stands to gain $600 billion from a successful round in the WTO. It is important, vital and incumbent upon the major subsidisers—the European Union, the United States and Japan—to stand up to the protectionist forces within their democracies, within their countries, and play a leadership role. An ambitious outcome on agriculture in the Doha Round is Australia’s No. 1 trade policy priority, and Australia will continue to fight every step of the way to ensure that our farmers can compete better globally and continue to generate more employment opportunities in regional Australia.