Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges:

(a) and applauds the efforts of Australian primary producers as they work to protect and rehabilitate the natural environment, often in conditions of extreme hardship;

(b) that Australian farmers have replanted the landscape via Landcare and the 20 Million Trees Programme;

(c) the personal commitment of Australian farmers to replanting the landscape; and

(d) that Victorian Farmers have won the fight against high saline water tables caused by tree clearing for mining and urban development in the 1800s;

(2) applauds the:

(a) environmental codes of conduct and farmers' voluntary compliance as applied to food growers by our local food manufacturers and retailers; and

(b) clean green image developed by Australia's food producers which adds great value to our food exports and domestic markets; and

(3) calls on the Government to designate a National Day of Australian Farming that celebrates their great achievements and their contributions to the nation.

Australian agriculture and its farm families have been pre-eminent in shaping Australia's values and cultural identity. Our First World War Anzacs survived the inhuman conditions at Gallipoli and the Western Front because they lived rough, made do and when mounted they could ride and shoot better than the enemy. They came off our farms. While few today will ever get their shoes dusty marking cattle or drafting a mob of sheep, most male MPs and senators in this parliament proudly wear elastic-sided boots every day—footwear developed for safe riding and hard work down on the farm. Australia's iconic dress is a wide-brimmed akubra and clothing reminiscent of the pastoralists at ease on the veranda after a long day in the paddock. Our bush poetry was once lauded and learnt by every school child, until we abandoned wholesale teaching of Australian history, afraid of the dark parts.

From the 1840s until 60 years ago, Australia figuratively rode on the sheep's back—although in the mid-1800s kangaroo was still the main meat on the table in Adelaide. Early horticulture in Australia was developed by the Chinese, who had originally arrived as miners, and up until the 1920s one-third of all of our horticulture was due to the Chinese, in particular in Western Australia. It was Australia's agribusiness innovation that invented the stump-jump plough that allowed cropping across our huge Mallee, arid and semiarid country. Our wheat varieties were developed by Australians like William Farrer, who gave us global competitiveness, ultimately in soft noodle wheats for Asia and the Middle East. Some 51 per cent of the Australian continent is still dedicated to farm production, with 90 per cent of that used for cattle grazing and sheep on native pastures in our arid and semiarid zones. But while that is a huge area, the value of cattle earnings are closely followed by wheat, dairy, vegetables, fruit, nuts and lamb meat and wool. Every day that the ceremonial mace is carried into our House of Representatives chamber, I am reminded of the contribution that wool once made to our economy as I see the golden rams heads encircling the shaft.

Wool in particular, but agriculture in general, established Australia as a thriving, innovative economy, battling the high risks of erratic rainfall in the driest inhabited continent on earth. Agriculture drove the establishment of large ports, manufacturing and service sectors. The early success of agriculture in Australia attracted foreign investment, especially from the UK, with vast holdings of land held by these interests; in particular, in the pastoral industry of Northern Australia. Cheap labour was an essential ingredient in establishing these early industries, with first convict and then Aboriginal labour sometimes working in slave-like conditions, and then the indentured workers in Queensland's sugar industry brought in from the Pacific. By the 1900s, Australia was one of the world's major food exporters, protected as it grew from its embryonic stages by high tariffs on imports and special Commonwealth country preferred-supplier status in markets like the UK.

Australian farmers have to compete and survive in one of the highest-risk and highest-input-cost environments in the world. At the same time, they are now the least supported by any government in the developed world, whether that be in the form of special measures, tariffs on imports, subsidised insurance for the multiplicity of perils, or government-supported research and development. The low dollar has helped our exports to be more competitive but it has also, unfortunately, increased the cost of fertilisers, machinery and other farm inputs. We in Australia must acknowledge the efforts and the struggles of our great farmers—and also their triumphs, and their production that is the envy of the world: our clean, green food.

Irrigated agriculture is less than one per cent of the land mass of the country but contributes more than 28.7 per cent of the value of all agricultural production. Much of the irrigation of Australia comes from harnessing waters in the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin. Unfortunately, with the unintended adverse consequences of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, we now have some $5 million to $7 million per day lost in value from primary production across the basin. This is due to the loss of water access security, and to speculator-driven peak prices for that water. Onshore and offshore superannuation funds and state governments are profiteering in this temporary water market, speculating on traded irrigation-system infrastructure built with taxpayer funds, all at the expense of the farmer, who quite simply cannot compete and is losing their enterprise.

We have to acknowledge the national efforts of our farmer community. The Day of Australian Farming is a day when we could celebrate their great achievements and their contributions to the nation. It is a day to remind our food consumers that 'down, down, everyday low prices' are not sustainable. Give the farmer a go. Celebrate their achievements, but acknowledge the incredible difficulties that they must today survive.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

I rise to speak on the motion by the member for Murray, and I am happy to applaud with her the efforts of Australian farmers. I say that not as someone with a farming background; I am the son of a butcher—who did actually end up going back onto the land. But all Australians need to be connected to a farmer. Whilst I have an inner-city seat, that includes Brisbane's fresh food markets at Rocklea—which I will touch on later—so I feel that there is a direct connection with the farmers.

No-one would quibble about the difficulties faced by all Australian farmers. I come from St George in Western Queensland. At the moment, some people have had some rain, but those never-ending droughts, the plagues of crop-eating insects, our harsh climate, and climate change are making long-term adjustments necessary. Farming is a particularly daunting task. Add to that the isolation, the ageing of our farmers, and some particular challenges going forward for the bush communities that support farmers, and also for the farmers themselves and their families. I was talking to a friend of mine, Wayne Long, out in St George on the weekend. He works on a cotton farm. He was saying that he is just waiting to see whether the water would flow through, to see what water was purchased, and to see—whilst they have put crops in—whether they would have enough water to irrigate. Good luck to Wayne and to all those waiting for that water to come.

We know that Australian farmers are skilled, and particularly intelligent and resilient. The importance of looking after our land is reflected by the United Nations General Assembly declaring this year the International Year of Soils. Coming from the western edge of the Darling Downs—with, I would argue, the best soil in Australia—some might argue in the world—I believe it is important that we recognise the International Year of Soils, that we raise awareness about the profound importance of soil for human life, and that we educate the public about the crucial role that soil plays in food security. As our world population increases it will be even more important to keep our soil healthy and productive.

The importance of our agricultural sector cannot be overstated when it comes to our economy. It contributes three per cent to Australia's GDP just from the farm gate, and when value-adding processes after the food leaves the farm gate are taken into account then the contribution to GDP averages out at about 12 per cent, or $155 billion. As the son of a butcher, I would love to see that increase, particularly when it comes to sending packaged meat overseas rather than live exports if possible. The gross value of farm production is forecast to increase by eight per cent in 2015-16. I would like to see that dining revolution take place. I know that Australia can be, if not the food bowl, certainly a very well-stocked delicatessen. Be it produce from Tasmania, the Northern Territory or Western Australia, there foods that we can send into that growing middle class in Asia.

Our natural resources are vital to sustain the agricultural sector. Although farmers bear the brunt of protecting those resources as the stewards of the land, it is up to all of us to do our bit to protect our valuable natural assets. There are approximately 134,000 farm businesses in Australia. Each farmer produces enough food to feed 600 people; 150 of them are Australian and 450 live overseas. Australian farmers produce almost 93 per cent of Australia's daily domestic food supply.

Obviously, as the member for an inner city electorate, I know there are a few cattle and sheep at the Corinda State High School farm and some crops that they produce. I know that the Brisbane Produce Market, one of the six central markets in Australia, plays an important role in distributing food. The central markets in Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth are a huge industry, turning over $7 billion a year, and throughout Australia these markets employ 17,500 people. Brisbane Markets is my biggest employer, employing 4,000 people, not to mention the transport and other contracts. Brisbane Markets turns over $1 billion a year. Obviously it is vital to our farmers that we look after fresh fruit and vegetables, and I am sure Andrew Young, the CEO of Brisbane Markets, will be making sure the government knows that they should not bring in a GST on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Murray for bringing forward this motion. I just had the pleasure this morning to speak about a motion from the member for Hunter on soils and I think there is a continuation here that is very relevant. Soils are the lifeblood of our nation. Healthy and productive soils sustain everything we do. They sustain life on earth and the biodiversity that exists. It is more obvious to us above the ground but less so below the ground. It is indeed something that is significant.

I note also that in the motion, which I am supporting, the member for Murray calls on the government to designate a national day of farming. I applaud her on those efforts. It gives me an opportunity to reflect on what is a really important sector within my rural, regional electorate and on the farmers that add so much to not only the economy of this country, or the state of Tasmania in my case, but also their local communities. They are often employers. They are members of sports clubs and service clubs. They are the people that sustain communities. When times are good, we know that farmers spend money in their local communities, so the notion that, when farmers are making a dollar, the country is making a dollar is very true.

I think particularly of the Midlands, which I must say are very, very dry at the moment. If we think of Tasmania, with 12 per cent of the nation's rain falling on two per cent of the landmass, it is falling in all the wrong places at the moment. The east coast of Tassie is as dry as I have ever seen it. It is the driest October on record in some places. Tom Clarke, from Campbell Town, told me the other day that it is the driest October he has seen in 28 years. The country is certainly showing it.

These people are stewards of the first order—and I am thinking particularly about the Midlands of Tasmania, which is recognised as a biodiversity hot spot. Later I will touch on the 20 Million Trees Program, which is being undertaken in that part of my state. These people have for generations looked after the land on which they have farmed, in some cases since European settlement. Native grasses are threatened all around the world. Many Australian grass species have been retained in the Midlands of Tasmania because of the wool and sheep industry. It is actually because these people have managed the grazing of livestock in these areas that we still have the native grasses, which are so threatened all around Australia and, indeed, all around the world. These people are the ultimate stewards. I want to pay particular credit to those many families who, over generations, have managed those grasses in the Midlands of Tasmania in such a way as to retain them to this day.

The 20 Million Trees Program is a wonderful initiative. I am proud to say that I have two projects in my electorate, which are really about landscape connectivity. With so much of the money that we put into environmental projects a piecemeal type of approach is taken, whereas in Tasmania we have two projects that are linking the Central Highlands with the eastern highlands through corridors. I think the tragedy that is seeing plants and/or animals going onto endangered or threatened species lists is that we have not found better ways of reaching our objective here. We just cannot keep doing what we are doing. So I see in this project, which has been initiated through Greening Australia, Sebastian Burgess in particular, but also with the cooperation of so many individual farmers, that we have a fantastic opportunity to create a landscape outcome that will do more to make sure that we stop species decline and biodiversity is maintained within this very fragile area of Tasmania. I congratulate not only the Minister for the Environment and Greening Australia but also the landholders involved in what is a fantastic initiative in my electorate of Lyons.

Cathy McGowan (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure today to support this motion. I want to talk on behalf of the Australian primary producers and our Landcare groups and support the call for a national day for farmers. In recognising the member for Murray, can I also congratulate you on the fantastic job you have done on the ground in protecting farmers in your own community, particularly through your work in protecting manufacturing jobs around the Shepparton-Mooroopna area. You have been an outstanding champion for SPC and related people. So congratulations on that work.

Today I would like to claim my space, with my background in agriculture, and acknowledge the important work that happens in north-east Victoria with agriculture. I am a lifetime member of the organisation Australian Women in Agriculture and know the work that women in particular do in sustaining farming families. I am a member of the Victorian Farmers Federation and have been on the policy committee of the VFF. I am a producer of prime lamb, which I am delighted to say is some of the best that you can possibly have. I am a tree planter. I am also a member of the Indigo Valley Landcare Group. I join with one other member of this House, Nola Marino, in being a proud Australian woman farmer. When I talk about this word 'farming', I bring to the knowledge of the House that farmers are more than just the one person. Farmers mostly operate in a family context. They are multigenerational, so we have men, women, children, grandparents, uncles and aunts and also the people who work on our farms. So that generic term for 'farmer' covers an enormous number of people who are actively engaged in the production of our food.

At the local level these farming families and businesses are supported by many community groups. Today I would particularly like to talk about landcare groups—in particular my local Indigo Valley Landcare Group. Established in 1986, it was one of the forerunners of landcare groups in our region and took upon itself the task of sharing knowledge, sharing work, creating celebrations, doing planning, welcoming newcomers to the community and doing fantastic field days. Most importantly, from my perspective, the landcare group introduced me to some of the wise elders who were well established in my community and gave me access to their knowledge and to the experience that generations of farming families had built up.

Today I particularly acknowledge and thank publicly Carol White. I thank Carol, John and their family for the fantastic work that they have done in the Indigo Valley as farmers and as wonderful protectors of our landscape. I also acknowledge Phil and Norm McLean—Phil in particular for the introduction she gave me to trees and to the landscape. Phil, Norm and their family have done a fantastic job in the Indigo Valley, teaching so many people so many things and introducing me, as a young farmer, to agriculture and to the community.

These landcare groups operating in a small local area—there are about 71 in my electorate of Indi—are also supported at the regional level by our catchment management authorities. Today I also acknowledge the work done by the North East CMA and the Goulburn Broken CMA. They do a fantastic job at a regional level, helping and supporting farmers and landcare groups, helping with the planning and the marketing, sharing the knowledge and giving farmers the infrastructure and the support we need to do our job.

Attached to the fantastic work of the CMAs there is another group that I particularly want to mention today: a partnership between CMAs and philanthropy. In my electorate of Indi I had the pleasure in July of launching the Swamps, Rivers and Ranges blueprint for the north-east area of Victoria. This is a community-driven landscape restoration project. It is funded by the Norman Wettenhall Foundation, which is a well-known and respected philanthropy group dedicated to supporting community-driven environmental projects. One of the wonderful things about the work that they have done—and I particularly acknowledge Stephen Routledge for his work—is that they have been involved in over 60 environmental projects across 19 landcare groups, bringing them together and taking a priority approach so that they can be funded.

I support the member for Murray's call for a national day of Australian farmers. But a day is not enough. We need government support and community support. We have to work together as a nation to protect the diversity and variety of people who call themselves farmers and to bring their work to the national level and say to them all, 'Well done. Thank you.' In closing, I acknowledge the work of our Australian women farmers, often unrecognised, and in particular I thank Australian Women in Agriculture for the terrific job they have done on behalf of us all.

Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I rise to speak again on this motion without closing the debate. In continuing with this motion, which calls for a national Australian day of recognition of the importance of farming, I want to talk about farmers and the environment. We so often have a situation in Australia where farmers are seen as the enemy of the environment—the opposition to those who call themselves environmentalists. In fact, the reality is that farmers are the environmentalists of Australia. They protect the biodiversity on their farms, particularly remnant vegetation, which they might re-fence, fence out or replant. They have to protect the air quality through looking after their soil erosion and any emissions from their livestock production. They look after water and soil protection.

In particular in northern Victoria farmers have managed the high-saline water tables—a natural phenomenon which has also come about from the clearing of the central highlands for the goldmining era and to pave the streets of Melbourne with red gum blocks. We had in the 1980s an enormous movement of soil salinity management, where the farmers, I am pleased to say, were able to succeed and to literally replant northern Victoria. Great plains like the Tragowel Plains, which were treeless when they were first seen by the first European, Major Mitchell, are now filled with trees in a landscape that resonates with bird calls, with returns of reptiles and native flowers that had not been seen for a very long time.

It is especially difficult in Australia for our farming population to manage the environment, which of course is essential for their own agribusiness success. That is because of the incredible concentration of buying power of the supermarkets. They compete on price, and they insist to the consumer that each of them is the cheapest and that they will remain the cheapest. They advertise on 'down, down, everyday low prices' or 'best price value' anywhere that you will find a place to buy food. The difficulty is that when a farmer invests, as they must, in their environmental services—in air and water quality and in protecting biodiversity, as I have mentioned—and in humane practices to make our Australian livestock industry one of the most humane and careful in the world, unfortunately they do not receive a cent extra on price when selling their produce to the supermarkets. In fact, the supermarkets insist on a code of environmental conduct—something that Australian farmers are happy to comply with—but not at a cent more for farmers when they take those extra yards to ensure our environment is protected.

This is extremely difficult for our Australian farmers, but they are willing participants in an environment where only the best will do for Australian consumers and where they know their clean, green reputation is one of the most important values they take into the global market environment.

I particularly want to acknowledge the farmers of Murray. I am a fifth-generation farmer from my electorate of Murray. I am pleased to say my son is a farmer and he expects his son to be a farmer and his daughters as well. I am also a fifth-generation irrigation farmer. Irrigation is under threat throughout Australia, particularly in northern Victoria, as the impacts of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan take effect. The mid-term review of the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Project was published just on Friday, and we need to make sure that the problems and mistakes identified in that project with some billion dollars of federal funding are immediately dealt with. We need to make sure there is a resetting of the project so that irrigation is at the end of the day, after the expenditure of that $1 billion, in a better place. We need to make sure it is in fact world's best practice and is not in the situation it currently faces, where farmers are being driven out of business and are in despair.

We have got to see more focus on our farmers' investment in education. We know a lot of our farm families think that it is best for their children to move off their properties given the hard times they are experiencing. But our future farmers will be great. They need to have excellence in education, and that means investment in something like agricultural science or other farm-related training. We know that tertiary educated farmers are those who can best manage into their farm's future, which is high tech and high business but also requires them to have a heart and to be environmentally sustainable. All of that is a feature of Australian farming. I commend this motion to the House.

Debate adjourned.