Mr LITTLEPROUD (Maranoa—Leader of the Nationals) (15:29): On behalf of the federal coalition, I rise in response to the ministerial statement which marks today's publication of the ABARES Agricultural commodities report: September quarter 2025. These are important occasions because the information and the data contained in these reports hold enormous significance for our primary producers, our economy and Australia as a nation. This latest report outlines the ABARES forecast for the value, volume and price of Australia's agricultural production and exports over this coming year. It provides a comprehensive insight into the strengths and challenges which currently exist within the sector. But, before I go through this ABARES report, I want to begin by recognising and acknowledging all the hardworking men and women who grow our nation's food and fibre. Proudly, they are the backbone of an industry which has always been defined and underpinned by its hard work, its resilience and its world-leading innovation. However, despite the triumphs and achievements and welcome data in today's agricultural commodities report, it's a reality that many farmers across regional, rural and remote Australia are doing it tough. Right now, too many producers around our country are hurting, and, in some cases, it's a direct consequence of the policy decisions that this Albanese Labor government has made over the course of its time in office. These are the decisions which are embedded in an ideology which does not meet the practical reality of primary production, and there are many examples. Despite widespread workforce shortages, Labor scrapped the dedicated agricultural visa, made the PALM scheme unworkable and increased the cost of working holiday-maker visas. We've seen bipartisanship on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan discarded to make way for government imposed water buybacks. In the first term, we witnessed the debacle of Labor's attempt to impose a new tax on Australian farmers to make them pay for the biosecurity risk of their foreign competitors. We've endured the unfolding consequences of the government's reckless race to 82 per cent renewables by 2030, which has seen prime agricultural land torn up under transmission lines, solar panels and wind turbines, which has ignited division and anger across many farming communities in regional Australia. We've witnessed the tragic human toll that has been unleashed across regional Western Australia as a result of Labor's decision to shut down live sheep exports. Ultimately, these are decisions which all of those sitting opposite will be held accountable for. Today's ABARES agricultural commodities report for September offers a snapshot into the worth and value of Australian agriculture. In this report, ABARES has forecast a rise in the gross value of agricultural production this financial year to $95 billion—an increase of just one per cent. Going through the data, we can see that this increase has been driven by Australian livestock receiving higher prices, which has been fuelled by stronger global demand as well as domestic restocking activities as seasonal conditions improve. Meanwhile, crop production value is expected to decline, with lower prices offsetting a small rise in output volume. However, despite this decrease, the forecast value of crop production would still be the third highest on record. Turning to agricultural exports, they are projected to fall to $74.6 billion, a reduction of $1.9 billion. Just like crop production, this is the third highest on record. Importantly, when combined with Australia's fisheries and forestry sectors, it brings the total gross value of production to $101.6 billion. This is positive news for the agricultural sector and a commendable testament to its professionalism and durability, especially when we appreciate the challenges that our farmers have had to face. The report examines input costs, which includes crucial components which are required for profitable agricultural production, such as fertiliser and the workforce. When it comes to reducing input costs, the role of the federal government is to effectively foster an environment which facilitates this outcome. According to today's ABARES figures, input costs remain elevated, with the cost of fertiliser up 3.2 per cent. Although there is a favourable climatic outlook in the report across most of the country, which will support healthier crop and livestock prices, we know that, in parts of southern New South Wales, regional Victoria and South Australia, many farmers are suffering the horrific impacts of drought. Below average and extremely low pasture growth rates have seen farmers destock or remain reliant on supplemental feed. These farmers desperately need access to cash flow, and they need this now, which is why the federal coalition has been calling on the Albanese government to take immediate action and reinstate interest-free drought loans under the Regional Investment Corporation. In the water portfolio, today's commodity report shows that only 759 gigalitres of water has been traded this season. Compare that to last year, when more than double this amount was traded. At the same time, the average price has surged to $260 a megalitre, double the price of last year and far above the five-year average of $79 a megalitre. This raises a crucial question. Does the government accept that, as the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder takes a larger share of water from the Murray-Darling Basin, irrigators are struggling to share the remainder? Turning to biosecurity, we've already seen the mismanagement of the botched biosecurity tax in the government's first term, and we've now been left with more questions than answers when it comes to recent decisions to lift biosecurity restrictions on US beef imports. On this front, the federal coalition has been calling on the government to implement the Inspector-General of Biosecurity's recommendation for independent scientific reviews of import risk assessments. Meanwhile, in regional Western Australia, the trauma and uncertainty being inflicted on innocent farmers because of Labor's decision to forcibly shut down the live sheep export industry continues. The ongoing phase-out of live sheep exports, spearheaded by a woefully inadequate transition package, has been a disaster that has left impacted sheep producers in the lurch and their futures in doubt. To conclude, the federal coalition welcomes today's ABARES Agricultural commodities report for the September quarter. We welcome the projected increase in gross value in Australia's agricultural production. This is a great achievement for the sector and a fitting acknowledgement of all the hard work that our farmers put into their livelihoods every single day to keep us and the world fed and clothed. However, this doesn't disguise the reality that there are serious frontline challenges confronting this industry that the government must urgently address. We urge this government to reinstate the agriculture visa and to end its damage to the PALM scheme, to give our farmers access to the reliable workforce they need. We urge this government to do everything in its power to bring input costs down, including electricity. We urge this government to give drought stricken farmers effective access to the cash flow they need by implementing interest-free drought loans. We urge this government to sustainably fund our biosecurity system through an import container levy, instead of taxing farmers. We urge this government to stop water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin. We urge this government to ensure that farmers can get a fair price for their produce. We urge this government to protect our farming properties against the rollout of large-scale renewables. We urge this government to strengthen sovereign manufacturing in agriculture. We urge this government to reinstate the live sheep export industry. And we urge this government to protect family farms by scrapping its plans to tax unrealised capital gains on superannuation. These are the priorities that must be met, these are the priorities that will help Australia's agriculture sector reach its full potential and these are the priorities that a future coalition government will deliver.