25 Jul 2018 Estimates—Fisheries and Agricultural Industry Development 1 WEDNESDAY, 25 JULY 2018 _______________ ESTIMATES—STATE DEVELOPMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY COMMITTEE—FISHERIES AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT EST IMATES—FI SH ERIES AND AGR ICULTUR AL INDUSTR Y D EVELO PMEN T Estimate Committee Members Mr CG Whiting (Chair) Mr PT Weir Mr DJ Batt Mr JE Madden Mr BA Mickelberg Ms JC Pugh _______________ Members in Attendance Mr AJ Perrett Ms SL Bolton Mr AC Powell Mr MC Berkman Mr DR Last Mr MJ Hart _______________ In Attendance Hon. ML Furner, Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mr B Murphy, Chief of Staff Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Dr E Woods, Director-General Mr S Spencer, Deputy Director-General, Fisheries and Forestry Ms F Trenear, Acting Executive Director, Finance and Asset Management Biosecurity Queensland Mr M Letts, Acting Chief Biosecurity Officer _______________ The committee met at 9.00 am. CHAIR: Good morning. I declare this hearing on the estimates for the State Development, Natural Resources and Agricultural Industry Development Committee open. I would like to introduce the members of the committee. I am Chris Whiting, the member for Bancroft and chair of the committee. Mr Pat Weir, the member for Condamine, is the deputy chair. The other committee members are Mr David Batt, member for Bundaberg; Mr Jim Madden, member for Ipswich West; Mr Brent Mickelberg, member for Buderim; and Ms Jess Pugh, member for Mount Ommaney. The committee has granted leave for non-committee members to ask questions at the hearing today, so other members may be present over the course of the proceedings. 2 Estimates—Fisheries and Agricultural Industry Development 25 Jul 2018 Today the committee will consider the Appropriation Bill 2018 and the estimates for the committee’s area of responsibility. I remind everyone present that any person may be excluded from the proceedings at my discretion as chair or by order of the committee. The committee has authorised its hearing to be broadcast live, televised and photographed. Copies of the committee’s conditions for broadcast of proceedings are available from the secretariat. I ask that mobile phones or other electronic devices be turned off or switched to silent mode. Also, I remind you that food and drink are not permitted in the chamber. The committee intends to examine the portfolio areas in the following order: fisheries from 9 am to 10 am; agricultural industry development from 10 am to 11.30 am; state development and manufacturing from 12 pm to 1.15 pm; infrastructure and planning from 2.15 pm to 3.30 pm; natural resources from 4 pm to 5 pm; mines from 5 pm to 6 pm; and energy from 6 pm to 7 pm. The committee will now examine the proposed expenditure in the Appropriation Bill 2018 for the portfolio areas of the Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries. The committee will first examine the minister’s portfolio area of fisheries and then the portfolio area of agricultural industry development. The visiting members present are Mr Tony Perrett, the member for Gympie; and Ms Sandy Bolton, the member for Noosa. I remind those present today that the committee’s proceedings are proceedings of the Queensland parliament and are subject to the standing rules and orders of the parliament. It is important that questions and answers remain relevant and succinct. The same rules for questions that apply in parliament also apply in this hearing. I refer to standing orders 112 and 115 in this regard. Questions should be brief, relate to one issue and not contain lengthy or subjective preambles, arguments or opinions. I intend to guide proceedings today so that relevant issues can be explored fully and to ensure there is adequate opportunity to address questions from government and non-government members of the committee. On behalf of the committee I welcome the minister, the director-general, executives, departmental officers and members of the public to the hearing. For the benefit of Hansard, I ask all officers to identify themselves the first time they answer a question referred to them by the minister or the director-general. I now declare the proposed expenditure for the portfolio areas of agricultural industry development and fisheries open for examination. The question before the committee is— That the proposed expenditure be agreed to. Minister, if you wish, you may make an opening statement of no more than five minutes. Mr FURNER: Thank you, Chair, and good morning to everyone. Today I will be answering questions relating to the Agriculture and Fisheries budget and my portfolio of Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries. I am joined at the table today by Dr Elizabeth Woods, the Director-General of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries; and my chief of staff, Brett Murphy. To assist the committee, Cameron Macmillan, the CEO of QRIDA, and Alexander Baker, the Acting CEO of Safe Food Production Queensland, are here to answer any questions you may have of them. I am also joined by other senior members of the department: Scott Spencer, Bernadette Ditchfield, Malcolm Letts and Sinead McCarthy. When I took over this portfolio last year following the re-election of the Palaszczuk Labor government I made it my priority to immediately hit the road and get out into regional and rural Queensland to meet as many farmers, stakeholders and industry leaders as possible. Since then I have travelled over 31,000 kilometres, visiting 42 towns and cities. I have sat around the table with graziers in Cloncurry. I have met with wool producers in a shed near Barcaldine. I have also spent time with banana farmers in Tully, prawn farmers in Ayr, cane farmers in Proserpine, cotton farmers in Emerald, citrus growers in Bundaberg, meatworkers in Gympie and leading agricultural researchers in Nambour. These people are the heart and soul of the industry. Each and every one of them I encounter across the state informs and educates decisions that are made around the cabinet table here in Brisbane— important decisions such as the allocation of $10 million over three years for rural economic development grants, outlined in media reports this morning; the establishment of the Agricultural Ministerial Advisory Council, which will provide a regular and direct line for industry groups to take their ideas of developing the sector directly to the government; and $3 million over three years for the Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network, an initiative backed by industry to provide jobs and skills for farm workers across the state. 25 Jul 2018 Estimates—Fisheries and Agricultural Industry Development 3 One thing I quickly learned is that the title of agricultural industry development and fisheries minister does not come close to outlining how diverse this portfolio is. From biosecurity to animal welfare and from exhibited animals to the state’s vast forestry network, there is a lot of ground to cover. I take my responsibilities as minister overseeing the state’s fisheries and forestry resources very seriously. The forestry and fisheries industries have a longstanding and historical footprint in Queensland. Recreational fishing is one of our greatest and most iconic pastimes. I am committed to working with our regional cities, towns and industries to drive economic development across the state, whether it is on the water, in a control room or on a plantation. There are challenges—we can discuss some of them today—but I want to promote the industry’s leadership and success stories, whether it is delivering jobs, new products or new markets. Our Sustainable Fisheries Strategy is continuing to reform one of Queensland’s most important assets: our marine environment and seafood sectors. We are spending an additional $2.1 million over four years and an additional $731,000 per annum ongoing to meet the growing costs of the Shark Control Program. This will take the total funding of the program to $16.1 million over four years. This is important work and our government is getting it done. Given recent reports in the media from the member for Gympie, I want to tackle the issue of staffing head-on. There are no cuts to any staff in this budget. I remind those opposite that their record in government is nothing to be proud of. Staff and funding cuts ripped the heart out of communities in regional Queensland. I contrast that with the Palaszczuk government’s record. It could not be greater. I am happy to answer any questions directed to me or to my director-general. CHAIR: Minister, I believe you have additional information about an officer who may or may not be here. Mr FURNER: I do. I wish to advise the committee that, unfortunately, the acting CEO of Queensland Agricultural Training Colleges is ill and will not be taking part in today’s hearing. I seek leave to table an email from the acting CEO, received this morning, informing us of this absence. I understand that he will also be able to submit a medical certificate in due course if required. CHAIR: Do you have sufficient copies of that email? Mr FURNER: I do. CHAIR: Thank you. I move that that be accepted. Mr WEIR: I second that. CHAIR: All those in favour? Against? That is carried. We will now commence questions. I hand over to the member for Condamine. Mr WEIR: I defer to the member for Gympie. Mr PERRETT: Thank you. My first question is to the director-general. Welcome, Dr Woods. In a letter to the editor of the Bundaberg NewsMail on 3 July 2018 the minister stated that the current level of staffing in the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries was equivalent to 2,033 FTE, 135 fewer staff than outlined in the 2014-15 budget papers, yet page 17 of the SDS states that there are 2,128 full-time equivalents in the department in 2018-19.