Mr RICK WILSON (O'Connor) (19:48): I rise this evening to speak about an exciting opportunity that currently exists for Australian farmers, the agriculture sector and others: to think big and dare to dream in making a contribution that will help to shape a more profitable and sustainable future. Last month Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie asked the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources to conduct an inquiry into the bold vision of growing Australian agriculture into a $100 billion industry by 2030. This inquiry process now represents a golden opportunity for people to have their say and provide visionary ideas to help guide the agriculture sector's destiny and build future success. Another way of describing this work is as the prelude to a 10-year policy plan for turbocharging Australian agriculture by $40 billion. For me, as someone who has spent a lifetime living and working on the land and is extremely passionate about ensuring that Australian agriculture remains strong and sustainable along with our rural communities, it's a great responsibility and honour to chair this committee process and serve along with my committee members. Evidence and testimony will be gathered to harvest expertise and ideas of all shapes and sizes on how this $100 billion goal can be achieved. According to the latest figures from agricultural forecasting agency ABARES, farm value is forecast to decline by five per cent in 2019-20 to $59 billion, largely due to the drought and commodity price fluctuations. Increasing the industry's value by $41 billion in 11 years may seem like a huge task, but, as the saying goes, nothing worth having ever comes easy. That's why we're looking for blue-sky thinking and ambitious ideas with a strategic and pragmatic edge. We want to hear inspiring leadership, with industry leaders from all quarters encouraged to put forward their daring and innovative thoughts. This 'dare to dream' attitude is reflected in the fact that the committee's inquiry terms of reference are very broad and written in just one sentence: The Committee will inquire into and report on, the opportunities and impediments to the primary production sectors realising their ambition to achieve a combined $100 billion value of production by 2030. The National Farmers Federation has already demonstrated positive leadership and a can-do attitude in taking up this challenge and championing the cause. Last year, the nation's peak farm lobby group released a road map detailing the core values and principles on how the nation's agricultural output could increase by $40 billion to reach $100 billion by 2030. This work outlined areas of growth opportunity such as a rapidly expanding global population that's forecast to hit 10 billion by 2050. This population spike will underpin burgeoning food and fibre demand, especially in Asia, where Australia exports the vast majority of our clean, green agricultural produce. The NFF's road map also highlights some of the growing trends, such as increased community and consumer expectations and heightening demands on traditional farming practice, including animal welfare, water use and environmental sustainability. Growing export competition is also an escalating threat due to modernised farming methods and supply chains in other agricultural nations that are selling more of their major commodities such as wheat and beef into the same markets we do. The NFF have described this road map as a gutsy plan that's resulted from their exhaustive consultation with leaders throughout the agricultural value chain, farmers, researchers, agribusiness, educators, the community, government and others. But they've also said it's just a first step on the journey to 2030 and pledged to lead a collaborative approach to pursue common industry goals which will include NFF members, partners and industry stakeholders, including the government and community. In the report's introduction, shadow agricultural minister Joel Fitzgibbon made a notable contribution, highlighting the spirit of bipartisanship that's needed to support this aspirational aim. I'd like to acknowledge and welcome this message expressing the opposition's commitment to work together collaboratively, but we must be pragmatic and conscious of the need to work towards developing an industry battle plan to outlive any one particular entity or term of government and to achieve this $100 billion goal. That's why I'm looking forward to working through a process that ultimately delivers a report which reflects this bipartisan spirit and demonstrates firm leadership from the federal parliament. Without pre-empting any of its final recommendations, our overall aim is to identify the right policy settings needed by government to support industry's efforts to collaborate better and take Australian agriculture to $100 billion and beyond. It will not only capture blue-sky thinking but also seek to enhance policy initiatives that have already proven successful, such as this government's taxation measures around the farm management deposits, the $30,000 instant asset write-off and the $5 billion Future Drought Fund. Submissions are due by Monday, 14 October, and the inquiry's process is also set to include public hearings at dates and venues still to be finalised. I urge and welcome participation in this inquiry process to explore the potential of this future $40 billion growth spurt, which can deliver broader social and economic benefits not just for Australian agriculture but for the longevity of rural communities and the national economy.