Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 5:50:55 to 5:55:03
Review of recent market access achievements in Vietnam and Indonesia and the overall value of agricultural exports.
Topics: Exports, Trade policy
Speakers: Tina Hutchison, Speaker 9, Senator Glenn Sterle, Jessica Mitchell
>> All right. Um so uh this government we've been very focused um on trade diversification and expansion um particularly for um Australian agriculture. Now I've heard of our agricultural trade is more diversified than it's ever been. What's the government doing to support the agriculture sector with trade diversification and expansion?
>> Thank you Senator. So um the the department does focus particularly on um new market access particularly also on maintaining current market access and where uh we happen to lose market access we work very hard to restore that. So the department in 2025-26 achieved 56 technical market access outcomes including five actions to maintain and two actions to restore existing markets, 11 new markets and 38 improvements to existing markets. So the committee has heard us talk about um new access like Australian blueberries to to Vietnam after four years of technical negotiations with that trade commencing in December 2025. Uh after um an uh significant amount of work um we saw the reopening of access to Indonesia for Australian rendered products for animal feed which had been closed since 2018. So a significant outcome there. Um and recently during the Vietnamese general secretary and president to lamb's visit to Australia, Vietnam agreed to reinstate market access for Australian kangaroo and deer meat with trade to commence as soon as possible in 2026. So that was a re uh recent announcement uh in August this year. So uh the department continues to work um [clears throat] very actively across uh all of our markets, all of our industries. Um and things like uh in particularly important markets improving and safeguarding access for things like halal red meat to Malaysia um by finalizing the strate strategic halal red meat partnership which was announced in April April with market valued at over 447 million in the 2425 financial year. Um we continue to work um across certification of things like pet food to Singapore, um feather meal to Taiwan, um boine paricardium tissue to Mexico, uh and um the listing of five new beef establishments for export to Indonesia, uh including one establishment also receiving approval for sheep and goat meat. um which is the second positive outcome of Indonesian audits of Australian export meat establishments in two years with a total of seven establishments approved since November. I have more Senator, but I think what that goes to is the ongoing effort uh of the department both here in Australia and through our councilors overseas working very uh very hard with um our trading partners to make sure that we're um maintaining the market that we have and we're possible expanding that market. Um and we do that we spend um and we've got very formalized structures to engage with our industries on what their priorities are uh and to to seek to prioritize those as we negotiate with our international um u markets uh to make sure that we're extending um maintaining and supporting um our exporters.
>> Yeah, that's that's really interesting. And what does that mean in real terms of uh of uh benefits for our farmers and producers?
Well, the um the value of our um a our Australian fisheries, forestry and agricultural export industries in the last financial year was 85 billion. Um so we continue to work to make sure that um that we underpin uh Australia's ability to to continue to maintain those markets and create that value in the Australian economy.
>> Sounds like you're doing a great job, Minister. Is there anything else that you'd like to add to that one at all?
only that it's terrific to hear it.
>> Thank you. All right. Thanks, Chair.
>> Thanks, Senator. Senator, Senator Scarr, sorry.