Interview with Kieran Gilbert, Sky News

E&OE TRANSCRIPT 
TELEVISION INTERVIEW 
SKY NEWS NEWSDAY 
WEDNESDAY, 29 APRIL 2026

SUBJECTS: Fertiliser and fuel for Australia’s farmers and producers  

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Let's go live to WA now, and the Wheatbelt, in fact. I'm joined by the Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins. You've been meeting with grain farmers, grain producers. What's the message? Are they getting enough diesel? Is that fuel supply flowing to where it's needed in the more remote areas?

JULIE COLLINS, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY: Thanks, Kieran. It's terrific to be with you this afternoon from Western Australia's Wheatbelt. And certainly I have been having some discussions with grain growers over here in Western Australia with their local member, Trish Cook, talking to them about some of the challenges and some of the local impacts of what is the conflict in the Middle East that's impacting us here as it is globally. And certainly -

GILBERT: Yeah, and so, the feedback, feedback's been positive from them?

COLLINS: Well, certainly they are being impacted by this war in the Middle East, and they are making some decisions around what they're planting and what type of grains they're planting. And they are making decisions. But certainly I understand, and the government understands just how critical the diesel and the fertiliser is in terms of inputs to grains, but also other parts of our agriculture sector, and how important that food supply system here is in Australia. But importantly, of course, for our exports, given we export around 80 per cent in value of our great Australian produce. But our farmers are some of the most innovative, and they've certainly been innovating and being nimble and making some decisions about what they're up to through this current seeding process.

GILBERT: Can you give us a sense of where the exports are, too? I know that Penny Wong has been in Asia this week, in Japan, Korea, China. From the WA Wheatbelt, there's obviously a lot of domestic supply, but a lot would go into the region as well.

COLLINS: It certainly does, Kieran. We've got canola going over to Europe to go into biodiesel, we've got grains going into noodles through a whole range of Asian countries. And certainly they are exporting - I was talking to hay producers, that's going into the Japanese and the Chinese markets and around Asia more generally. So, certainly, our agriculture and our great Australian farmers are exporting right across the globe. And those relationships have been, as you say, really important in terms of the conversations that we're having to secure that fertiliser and that diesel that our farmers need to keep producing great produce.

GILBERT: Angus Taylor spoke about doubling the fuel stocks in Australia. That makes sense, doesn't it? I think it would resonate with a lot of people to do that, particularly off the back of this Iran conflict?

COLLINS: Well, obviously, we're working with farmers right across the country, Kieran, on making sure that we have the supply that we need in terms of the current situation. You know, we're dealing with the immediate challenges of what is, you know, the war in the Middle East that's impacting globally and here at home. So, we're dealing with our farmers and primary producers in relation to making sure that we're getting enough diesel and enough fertiliser into the country for them to be able to continue production, as I said, and that has been our initial focus. And then of course, we're doing medium and long-term planning in terms of what are the priorities going forward, as you would expect us to do.

GILBERT: When we talk to the region - and I know the Japanese Prime Minister's arriving on Sunday, she's going to be in Canberra Monday - a big part of that's about LNG and coal exports to Japan, but we obviously get fuel from them. The other component is the agriculture exports, as you touched on, with Australia being a food bowl for much of North Asia, including Japan.

COLLINS: Well, certainly we know that our great Australian agricultural produce is important for food security for a lot of our neighbours, particularly in the Asian region, but also globally and some of our near neighbours. So, Australia is providing food security not just for Australians, but right across the globe because we do produce so much, and it is such high quality that we produce here in Australia. It is wanted right across the globe. And I proudly say, on the world stage, Australian farmers are the best on the planet. They use some of the lowest amount of fertiliser, some of the least amount of tillage, some of the least amount of water, and they're very, very innovative. And we use a lot of technology in Australia, and a lot of research, and that makes our farmers incredibly productive. And we're very proud of our produce. And it's no surprise, I guess, that a lot of Asia and a lot of the globe actually want our great produce.

GILBERT: Thank you for joining us from the WA Wheatbelt today, Julie Collins, the Agriculture Minister.