Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (16:15): I grew up, raised my family and live in a beautiful part of our country, the New South Wales South Coast, which is home to thousands of small businesses, food producers and tourism operators. We have longstanding and proud fishing, dairy and timber industries and, more recently, very successful aquaculture and wine producers. Gilmore is home to defence and to a huge defence industry, supporting local small to medium manufacturing businesses and thousands of local jobs. Our region is growing, with new homes popping up in almost every town and village and with community infrastructure such as new hospitals, schools and roads being built to support the growing population. Our region is thriving, and I'm proud to be part of a government that is supporting local farmers, producers and small businesses in so many ways. I come from a farming family and grew up on a dairy farm, so I understand those very struggles our farmers face every day, whether from drought, fire, flood, disease, transport costs or securing workers. I'm on the Standing Committee on Primary Industries because I want to stay connected with farmers and producers and help safeguard our food security, grow sustainability and prepare for future challenges so they can continue producing world-class products. Since coming to government, we have been delivering for Australian farmers, fishers and producers. We have stepped up our biosecurity, opened new trade opportunities and improved farm sustainability. We are continuing to support industry and small businesses through the challenges facing our country and the world. We are not resting on our laurels. We are addressing these challenges so our farmers can continue to succeed. The latest forecast shows the value of Australia's agricultural production this financial year is set to be the second highest on record, which is a testament to the hard work and resilience of our farmers. We know people on the land work hard every single day to ensure the success of their businesses, and we're providing a helping hand when they need it. I'm pleased to say that our skilled migration program supports priority processing so our agriculture, aquaculture and fishing industries have the workers they desperately need to harvest crops, milk the cows and catch the fish we put on our dinner tables. The program is helping building companies, health centres, defence businesses and manufacturing businesses get the staff they need, especially in rural and regional areas. My husband's a chippie and runs a small business, so I know just how important it is to have those skilled workers in the construction industry and to train more homegrown tradies so we can keep up with the demand for new homes. Energy costs are a huge part of running a small business or agricultural operation. That's why we're helping businesses and farmers save on their energy bills by cutting the cost of solar systems by 20 per cent, and small businesses in my region have benefited greatly from Commonwealth energy efficiency grants to put solar on roofs and install energy efficient appliances. This government has acted swiftly to protect our farmers and producers from the worst impacts of the war in the Middle East, including by allocating more than $14 billion towards strengthening Australia's fuel resilience package and, importantly, securing fuel supplies for our farmers and regional organisations. Year-round support is available for farmers, fishers and producers facing hardship, including concessional loans through an additional $1 billion being delivered to the Regional Investment Corporation. We will always stand up for our farmers and regional communities because keeping our farmers safe means keeping food on our tables. Through the development of Feeding Australia: a national food security strategy, we're investing to help prepare the agricultural community for future challenges by ensuring our farmers have the tools and support they need. As chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade's trade subcommittee, I'm looking at more ways to strengthen our trade and investment relations with neighbouring countries to expand opportunities for local producers to export our world-class products. We're getting the relationships back on track and opening new opportunities for our farmers. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): The time for this discussion has concluded.