New Senator Greg Mirabella champions exports and China

A beef producer from Wangaratta, Greg Mirabella pledged to bring his experience of agriculture, infrastructure and technology to the parliament.

Greg Mirabella on his property near Wangaratta in Victoria.

Newly elected Liberal Senator for Victoria Greg Mirabella has positioned himself as a voice for farmers and expressed concern about the vulnerability of supply chains and over-reliance on China.

A beef producer from Wangaratta, Senator Mirabella pledged to bring his experience of agriculture, infrastructure and technology to the parliament after filling the upper house seat left by former Senate president Scott Ryan.

He used his maiden speech to attack Simon Holmes a Court’s campaign group, Climate 200, which has promoted inner-city pro-climate candidates against Liberal MPs, including Warringah MP Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender, a candidate for Wentworth.

The group also campaigned for independent MP Helen Haines, who holds the seat of Indi in rural Victoria. The seat was previously held by Senator Mirabella’s wife, Sophie, who lost the electorate to independent Cathy McGowan at the 2013 election.

Senator Mirabella criticised the movement’s claim of independence, arguing the independent MPs were acting as a defacto political party.

He said the independents cited their “major platform as lack of action on climate change”, but expressed “grave concern” about how they would address climate action. He warned any shutdown of domestic coal or energy industries could lead to blackouts and soaring energy prices.

“They say they’re independents who aren’t really a political party. Really? They look and sound like one – they even have a Senate candidate – preaching the need for transparency in politics, while denying scrutiny of themselves.

“I am gravely concerned at how a Labor/Greens/Voices coalition would accelerate climate action. Ban coal? Shutdown more baseload generation? This country is at the point where we do not need more intermittent generation.”

He also questioned what the future of the Australia/China trade relationship would look like, after Beijing slapped trade tariffs on a range of Australian exports.

“Our exports, too, have been challenged. China punished our beef and wine trade because of a diplomatic slight. Well, with some difficulty we’ve lived with that, and found new markets, and it remains unclear whether our mutual trade interests with China will prevail over the long term,” he said.

“We need to examine what disruption to globalised supply chains really means for us – whatever the cause.”

Senator Mirabella outlined his values of family, service, self-reliance, endeavour and enterprise, which he said fundamentally shaped the perspective he would bring to parliament.

“I’ve been fortunate to have first-hand experience in a broad range of areas that make the world work,” Senator Mirabella said. “Food production, infrastructure, technology, and national defence.”

“And I have also come to know and believe in certain values which I believe are critical both to an individual's pursuit of happiness and to the flourishing of our nation.

“The perspective I bring to the task of shaping Australia’s future is a consequence of the journey that I have taken to reach this chamber today.”

Senator Mirabella acknowledged and praised his wife for her contribution to the people of Indi, reflecting on her 12 years in parliament and pointing out that her maiden speech was almost 20 years ago to the day.