Across the three events I spoke about a range of issues including the need to embrace the technology and innovation we need to make the most of our opportunity to export premium products into the growing middle class markets of Asia.

While we can always do more by raising productivity and embracing innovation, the volume of food we can produce will remain limited by the extent of our water and soil resources.  Already we produce three times more food than we consume ourselves.  But most of our product is sold into "commodity" markets where global prices determine what we receive for it.

So we need to focus more on producing products for which we can secure a big price margin.  Products which secure premium prices because they are tastier, or healthier, are a different colour, or even just packaged and labeled differently.

On this last point, one Tasmanian cherry grower I spoke with is securing a premium in Asian markets because his quality Tasmanian cherries are packed in small boxes (which look not unlike those you seen containing expensive chocolates).

I suspect most buyers use them for gifts. Customers in Asia are aware of our reputation as a supplier of clean, green and safe product.  It is that reputation which provides us with our main competitive advantage in export markets.

The question is, are we fully capitalising on that reputation?  That's what the ASA 100 gathering was all about.  The group was formed by miner Andrew "Twiggy" Forest to push for a better branding strategy.

We need one Australian logo that people shopping Asia's supermarkets are familiar with and can easily spot. The green kangaroo has served us well in the past but you can't put a kangaroo on Australian meat of milk for example. The risk is customers may think it's kangaroo meat or milk.

To establish what logo or brand will work best, ASA 100 wants to do extensive research and testing in China. Of course, they want government financial assistance to do so. Personally, I believe it would be a sound investment.

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A few months ago flying fox problems in our local communities had reached fever-pitch. People were effectively trapped in their homes, community events were being disrupted, and the noise and smell was becoming unbearable for many residents.

Since then, the seasons and weather has intervened and the problem was receded somewhat. But it hasn't gone away. Recently we've secured some money to help councils manage the problem and the benefits of that work are already apparent in some locations.

But one challenge is still with us; the "endangered" status of the bats.  During the election campaign I said I would fight to secure a Parliamentary Inquiry into the matter. I'm very pleased that the government has agreed to my request.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy will inquire into the status of the flying foxes, the manner in which such species become listed, whether the listing is scientifically robust, and the circumstances in which species listed might be de-listed.

I've also asked the Committee to investigate the interaction between State and Federal agency listings which further complicate the issue and restrict our capacity to deal with flying fox problems.

Any resident or organisation interested in making a submission to the inquiry can do so by contacting my office.

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To contact the office, phone 49911022 or visit 3 Edward Street, (PO Box 526) Cessnock, 2325. Please like my Facebook page Joel Fitzgibbon MP, follow me on Twitter @fitzhunter and check my website www.joelfitzgibbon.com regularly for news.