24 March 2009
DAFF09/104T

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Tony Burke
Address to sheep and beef industry representatives
Kingdom of Bahrain

(E&OE)

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

First of all, what a great occasion this is. There are very few industries where we have direct involvement in creating jobs for two nations.

Tonight this occasion gives us a chance to reflect on one of those classic win-win accomplishments, which is what the live trade is: jobs being created in Australia and jobs being created in the Middle East. In this case, today, we reflect specifically on Bahrain, but certainly we have representatives from other GCC nations here.

We have a very good story to tell and it was my privilege this morning to be able to see first-hand just how good the story is.

The care of the animals, the shading of the animals, the different technologies that are now being used allow this to be an industry which, I am very proud to explain to the Australian people, is an industry in which that they should have great faith.

There is always more work to be done. And we will continue to work together to move the boundaries and improve the standards to find out how we can do a good job even better.

But we should still reflect, on a day like today, on how far we’ve come. Even over the last five years, the work that’s been done together is extraordinary.

Australians generally regard live export as though it were a recent invention. Indeed it’s not. We go back a number of decades for the trade here in the Middle East and certainly, were it not for live exports, there never would have been any cows or sheep in Australia in the first place.

The live trade is as old as trade itself. The thing that has changed, though, is the commitment to working together to building an industry that is much stronger that it ever has been in the past.

We should reflect on that. And you also should know, my friends here in the Middle East, that this is a trade which has very strong support and belief from the Australian Government.

I know you have gone through the experience, in years gone by, of establishments being shut down for different periods of time. I believe we have a good story to tell. I believe we need to continue to walk that path and I have confidence we will.

My role since becoming Minister has purely been to reopen establishments, not shut them down. That should give you a good level of confidence in seeing your relationship with Australia as a very long-term one.

So I would encourage you in that way to sign long-term contracts and to sign long-term generous contracts with your Australian counterparts.

On the government-to-government work, I’ve had some very good meetings today. I’ve been deeply privileged to reflect on some of these issues, with the Prime Minster, His Highness. He showed an extraordinary level of courteousness and generosity towards me which I think reflects on the relationship we have between, in particular, Bahrain and Australia and the Middle East more generally.

The world has changed so much in the last 12 months. Twelve months ago, no-one was talking about a global recession. And we can see new challenges that are emerging.

As the leaders of the G20 meet in the weeks to come, and as the world tries to work its way through the financial crisis and the global recession, there is one thing that we know will remain unchanged. That is, while the global recession may see people put-off many of their purchases, people don’t put off their need for food.

Those people here are all involved in different ways in food security and involved in feeding people and that demand will be ever strong. And may our partnerships that we celebrate here today forever be a part of food security throughout the region.

It’s a real privilege to be here with each and every one of you here today.

ENDS