Speakers: Speaker 1, Speaker 3, Speaker 2

Transcript

Speaker 1

this hearing of the rural and regional affairs and transport legislation committee into the 202526 additional estimates. I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today and I pay my respects to elders both past, present and emerging. I extend that respect to Aiginal and Toouristra Islander peoples here today. The committee is due to report to the Senate on Tuesday the 31st of March 2026 and it has fixed Friday the 10th of April 2026 is the date for the return of answers to questions taken on notice. The committee's proceedings today will begin with corporate matters of the department of agriculture fisheries and forestry. Now, understanding order 26 that the committee must take all evidence in public session and this includes answers to questions on notice. I remind all witnesses that in giving evidence to the committee, they are protected by parliamentary privilege. It is unlawful for anyone to threaten or disadvantage a witness on account of evidence given to a committee and such action may be treated by the Senate as a contempt. It is also a contempt to give false or misleading evidence. The Senate has endorsed the following test of relevance of questions at estimates hearings. Any questions going to the operations or financial positions of the departments and agencies which are seeking funds in estimates are relevant questions for the purpose of estimates hearings. I remind officers that the Senate has resolved that there are no areas in connection with the expenditure of public funds where any person has a discretion to withhold details or explanations from the parliament or its committees unless the parliament has expressly provided otherwise. The Senate has resolved also that an officer of a department of the Commonwealth shall not be asked to give opinions on matters of policy and shall be given reasonable opportunity to refer questions asked of the officer to superior officers or to a minister. This resolution does not preclude questions asking for explanations of policies or factual questions about when and how policies were adopted. Witnesses are reminded of the Senate order specifying the process by which a claim of public interest immunity should be raised. I incorporate the public immunity statement into the hands. I remind senators of their obligations under the behavior code for Australian parliamentarians to treat witnesses with dignity, courtesy, fairness, and respect. An officer called to an to answer a question for the first time should state their full name and the capacity in which they appear. I now welcome Senator the Honorable Anthony Chisum, Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Minister, do you wish to make an opening

Speaker 2

statement? >> No thanks, Chair, but good to be with

Speaker 1

you again. >> Thank you very much, Minister. Now, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Miss Victoria Anderson, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry. I believe we've stolen you from Treasury, but you've been around DAFF for a little while previously. So, it's our win and Treasury's loss. So, welcome and it's great to meet you, Miss Anderson. We look forward to hearing from you today and we do congratulate you on your appointment. On saying that, do you wish to make an opening statement?

Speaker 3

>> I would like to just make a very brief opening statement.

Speaker 1

>> This is like a wedding, you see, that special day where everyone loves you on that first day. So, the floor is yours.

Speaker 3

>> Let's hope it lasts until the evening. >> Let's hope so. Um, so thank you very much for this opportunity to make a brief opening statement. Chair, I'm honored to have been appointed as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry Commencing on the 8th of December uh, 2025. I'm passionate about the work of the department, whether it's enabling the growth, competitiveness, and sustainability of our industries, facilitating trade or strengthening our biocurity system to protect our people, environment, and economy. I've spent a last part a large part of my career in the department as you alluded to chair and it's been a very great pleasure to return. I've been quickly reminded of the dedication, diversity and experience and expertise of our staff ranging from scientists and vets to policy analysts and frontline staff to ICT and systems experts all performing an incredible breadth of work right around the country to deliver outcomes for Australia's agriculture, fisheries and forest industries and the Australian community. I'd like to acknowledge the ongoing impact on our industries of persistent drying conditions in some parts of the country as well as bushfires and floods. We remain closely engaged with industry representatives to understand the impacts and ensure that there is information available and support on offer about the support on offer. For instance, in our portfolio, we have programs available to assist those experiencing financial hardship such as the farm household allowance and the rural financial counseling service. And in other portfolios, there is disaster recovery assistance available such as the emer emergency fodder support provided under the disaster recovery funding arrangements. Notwithstanding these challenges, Australia's agriculture, fisheries, and forestry industries continue to grow and continue to provide the quality highquality food and fiber to Australians and around 190 global markets each year. The gross value of production for the sector for 2526 is forecast to be $106 billion with exports forecast to be worth close to $84 billion. This year's record builds on strong growth over the past 5 years which has seen the sector reach four of its highest production years on record. The recent period of growth following several challenging years points to a resilient sector underpinned by relatively strong productivity growth and demonstrates the adaptability of our producers in increasingly uncertain international markets. I look forward to providing further information and support to this committee in this and future hearings. For today's hearing, I'd like to inform the committee that Deputy Secretary Justine Saunders, APM, is currently on planned annual leave, a commitment made many months ago. Miss Christy Sorzac will be appearing in her place and will be able to address relevant matters under outcome too. Thank you very much for the opportunity for this opening statement and I welcome we welcome your questions.

Speaker 1

>> Thank you very much, Mr. Anderson. We'll go to corporate matters questions. Senator Canavan