Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS);

(2) notes that:

(a) the IYS aims to be a platform for raising awareness of the importance of sustainable soil management as the basis for food systems, fuel and fibre production, essential ecosystem functions and better adaptation to climate change for present and future generations; and

(b) the objectives of the IYS are to:

  (i) create awareness of the fundamental roles of soils for human life;

  (ii) achieve recognition of the prominent contributions of soils to food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, essential ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and sustainable development;

  (iii) promote effective policies and actions for the sustainable management and protection of soil resources;

  (iv) educate decision makers about the need for robust investment in sustainable soil management activities aimed at healthy soils for different land users and population groups; and

  (v) advocate for rapid enhancement of capacities and systems for soil information collection and monitoring at all levels (global, regional and national); and

(3) commits to promoting the importance of healthy soils and encouraging the adoption of regenerative landscape management practices throughout the year, including celebration of World Soil Day on 5 December 2015.

The General Assembly of the United Nations has designated 2015 the International Year of Soils, and 5 December will be World Soil Day. The purpose of my motion this morning is to raise the profile of World Soil Day and the importance the United Nations has placed on the need to raise awareness of the importance of soil health and related issues.

The UN's motivation for a call for greater focus on soil health is obvious. Soil is the network of interacting living organisms within the earth's surface layer which support life above ground. The nutritional value of the food we eat is largely determined by the health of the soil in which it grows. Soil is of course the basis for food, feed, fuel and fibre production and for services to ecosystems and human wellbeing. It is the reservoir for at least a quarter of global biodiversity and therefore requires the same attention as aboveground biodiversity. Soils play a key role in the supply of clean water and resilience to floods and droughts. The largest store of terrestrial carbon is in the soil; therefore its preservation will contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The maintenance and, indeed, enhancement of global soil resources is essential if humanity's need for food, water, and energy security is to be met. It is well known that it is now predicted that the world's population will grow to some nine billion by 2050—that is up from the current seven billion. Since European settlement, many of the farming methods that have been embraced here in Australia have degraded our soils. Thankfully, we have largely learned from those mistakes in more recent decades and have adopted more enlightened methods, such as low- or no-till farming practices and reducing our reliance on fertilisers. An army of people working with our natural resource management groups, including through Landcare projects, have for decades now been helping to better manage the land and river ways that feed us. But much more needs to be done.

The former Labor government recognised this, and in 2012 created the position of Advocate for Soil Health. Former Governor-General Major General Michael Jeffery still holds that position and is doing an outstanding job. Indeed, to his credit, the former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, extended his period of office. I am confident that Major General Jeffery would not mind me saying that in my experience—having had many conversations with him—he is often frustrated by the lack of attention our soils receive from our policymakers. As he points out, our current approaches to water management are focused mainly on the—on average—12 per cent of rainfall that ends up in our streams, our rivers and eventually our dams—in other words, the water we actually see. Another two per cent falls on our rooftops and roads. However, the greatest potential for efficiency lies in making better use of the 86 per cent of rainfall initially falling on our soils, of which a staggering 50 per cent—or 25 times the quantity held in all of our dams—wastefully evaporates because it cannot filtrate the landscape.

This is where the importance of organic carbon in soils comes in. A properly structured soil with appropriate carbon content will allow rainfall to penetrate and to be initially stored in-ground for use by plants and animals. It will also allow the water to filter slowly, recharging our waterways, particularly during times of limited rainfall. Dams and other water storage are generally very important, but when you think about it there is much more we can achieve through innovation, technology, research and development in the area of soils.

In this place we now have a Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. But where is our minister focused on soil? It takes both water and soil to create the food on which we so rely. All of us in this place need to start talking about the challenges and opportunities ahead in a bipartisan way. There is a lot of talk about water, as important as that is. I acknowledge that, but we need to be talking more about soils. I pose the question in this place, and I will not ask for a show of hands: who, before this motion this morning, knew that it is the International Year of Soils? Very few, I suspect.

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