STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr LLEW O'BRIEN (Wide Bay) (13:38): 'We have the room and machinery to expand but we don't have the confidence in the Australian government to do so.' Those are the words of my mate Col, a pineapple grower from Munga. Col runs a longstanding family farming operation, but rising power prices, red tape, fuel and transport costs are making it harder for him to get ahead, to get on with the job.

Labor's changes to the working holidaymaker system have added uncertainty. Like many growers, Col needs confidence that workers will be available when harvest comes around. Crops don't wait.

Now pineapple growers face another threat: biosecurity. The government is considering requests from India and Indonesia to import pineapples. Yesterday, Australian growers came to Parliament House to raise concerns about the biosecurity risks this would pose to their industry.

When I think about these issues, I think about Col and farming families across Wide Bay. The coalition knows that cheaper energy, lower fuel costs, a reliable workforce and strong biosecurity protections matter. Farming businesses like Col's shouldn't have to choose between surviving and thriving.

They need the confidence to invest, create jobs and pass their farms on to the next generation. That's what I will keep fighting for, backed by the coalition.