The leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, toured Gippsland last week with fellow MPs Darren Chester and Tim Bull, receiving direct feedback from farmers and industry representative groups.
“Gippsland farmers are bearing the brunt of Labor Federal Government policies that are increasing costs, reducing productivity and undermining the financial viability of agriculture,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Agriculture forms the backbone of Gippsland, a region renowned for high-quality agricultural products, but the Labor-Greens vendetta against the region is jeopardising the livelihoods of farming families as they grapple with workforce challenges, food and water security, supermarket behaviour, excessive green tape and anti-agribusiness policies.
“We need common sense in Canberra and a respect for the critical role our farmers play in feeding the nation and exporting to the world.”
The politicians visited Bulmer Farms near Lindenow, Fenning Timbers in Bairnsdale and Gippsland Agricultural Group (GAgG) members at the new agricultural centre near the Bairnsdale airport.
GAgG general manager, Jen Smith, said the visit was a great opportunity to showcase Gippsland Ag’s journey over the past five years.
“We showed them what we’ve been doing, what’s helped and what’s hindered us along the way, and how we’re helping farmers in the district,” Ms Smith said.
“It was good to have both our local governments, Wellington and East Gippsland represented, we need to see more practical communication and understanding between the three tiers of government to support an industry like agriculture.
“It was good to see local government with its head in the game.
“Gippsland Ag’s core business isn’t politics, it’s productivity,” she said.
“It was great to host those who make the decisions for our industry and share our experiences.”
Mr Chester said the region’s agriculture sector was under threat as the Labor Party continued to enforce policies that carried enormous consequences.
“Gippsland is an agriculture powerhouse, with a $7 billion net worth, employing more than a third of the region’s workforce, and proudly producing 22 per cent of the nation’s dairy, 25 per cent of the beef, wool, and prime lamb in Victoria, and 27 per cent of Victoria’s vegetables,” Mr Chester said.
“But farmers’ voices are increasingly being drowned out by activists who want to shut down Australian farms, and our farmers know they aren’t getting a fair go from the government.”
Mr Littleproud said since forming Government, the Albanese Government had torn up the Agriculture Visa, despite Australia’s top peak food industry bodies warning that agriculture requires an additional 172,000 workers, and made ill-advised changes to the PALM scheme, rendering the scheme unworkable for farmers, compounding widespread workforce shortages.
Bulmer Farms’ Bill Bulmer said they spoke around his kitchen table and covered issues from the PALM scheme to over-regulation surrounding compliance required within the horticulture industry, to the fact that worldwide consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables had decreased from 2.4 to 1.8 serves per person per day.
“That’s one of the greatest concerns, consumption,” Mr Bulmer said.
“Then there’s our workforce, every time the government of the day makes an amendment to the PALM scheme because the minority is doing the wrong thing, it has a huge impact on the majority doing the right thing by their employees.
“As an industry we have to work with the government of the day, and in our case the minsters of the day.
“It was good to be able to go over the issues affecting our industry.”
