Sky News Newsday with Kieran Gilbert

KIERAN GILBERT: Let's go live now to the Minister for Regional Development. Kristy McBain joins me from Beef Week in Rockhampton. Minister, thanks so much for your time. Just to pick up on something I was talking to Chris Uhlmann about there, the challenges with China. But from the export front, what are you picking up from the beef exporters there in Rockhampton in terms of relations with Beijing?

KRISTY MCBAIN: Great to join you from Beef Week 2024 right here in Rockhampton. We've been chatting to a number of producers, a number of suppliers, a number of the AgTech specialists that are all showcasing here today. There is no doubt that there is a big market across Asia for our beef products, for live cattle export, and also for the meat that they produce. We need to make sure that we've got a cooperative and conductive relationship with China and with Asia more broadly. That means we've got to stand up for our national interest when and where we have to. The government's been very firm on that. We will cooperate where we can, we disagree where we must, but we'll always stand up for our national security.

GILBERT: Yeah, this is an interesting comparison, though, because when we're talking about those regional tensions, as we did a moment ago, the flip side is that a lot of those exporters and the deals being done during Beef Week, too, I'm told, with a number of representatives, not just from China, but from Japan, from Korea, there in Rockhampton, there are lucrative deals being done as we speak.

MCBAIN: Absolutely, there’s members from right across the world here this week making a range of trade deals. Ambassadors from countries around the world right here. Beef 2024 have just signed an MoU with Canada so they can bring out a similar event like this to their own country. There are a range of deals being struck this week, trade deals, IP deals. It is really important that our language, when we are entering into negotiations with other countries, when we're talking about new sciences, is done in such a way that doesn't harm people who live here in Rockhampton or anywhere else across regional Australia. When we've got the language wrong before, it cost farmers in their hip pocket, because tariffs were put on a range of their products which really impact their livelihoods.

GILBERT: On to the government's focus on a future made in Australia. The Prime Minister's in WA today, but there's a sense, and in fact, he told the AFR in an interview with Phil Coorey today that his message is that the future made in Australia is almost restoring the faith with blue collar workers. Is that something you think will resonate in central Queensland and areas where you haven't done that well? Labor in Queensland?

MCBAIN: A future made in Australia is a real centrepiece of what we went to the 2022 election with. We know manufacturing has substantially dropped across this country. We know that there are a number of workers who found themselves out of work when the former government chased off car manufacturing. Our future made in Australia is really a pact with this country that we want to see more things made in this country. We want to see local Australian talent and labour put to work. We want to monetise our own ideas right here on shore, and we're putting money towards that. I've lived in regional areas my entire life, and there is nothing more distressing than seeing a big manufacturer or a big business closed down and you lose a big chunk of your workforce and the people that live in your town. We want to make sure that people can grow up, go to school and get a job in the town that they live in, if that's what they want to do. A future made in Australia is about making sure that we do make more things here, but it's about ensuring the viability of so many regional towns across the country as well.

GILBERT: Yeah. And just on that issue of trade relations, as we spoke about, Don Farrell and his trade counterpart in Beijing have developed a strong relationship, as have other Ministers in the government with their Chinese counterparts. At the same time, as we mentioned, there have been those difficulties and a near miss in the Yellow Sea. Is it important, as you said, to disagree where we must, as the government puts it, that government and Ministers also take this up where they can?

MCBAIN: We've been really clear that the incident we've seen is completely unacceptable. Not something that we would expect from another country, especially a trade partner like China. I'm sure that those discussions will continue. That's already been relayed through diplomatic channels. As everyone's aware, there'll be a visit in June to the country and I'm sure that will be on the agenda.

GILBERT: Minister for Regional Development Kristy McBain, joining us from beef week in Rocky. Thanks. Appreciate it.

MCBAIN: Thank you.