Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've been contacted by many people in our community concerned with the growing escalation of tensions between Punjabi farmers and the Indian government in recent days. Thousands of small-scale farmers have walked onto the capital city of New Delhi to protest new laws allowing corporations to use valuable land and buy crops at reduced prices. There have been awful scenes of clashes between farmers and police with tear gas, water cannons and riot police called in to quell the protests over the passage of legislation which many farmers see as unfairly reducing their income.

This issue is not unique to India. Here in Australia family farming businesses have been preyed upon by corporate farming enterprises, and many families have been forced off the land. Recent studies show about 28 people who depend on farming in India die by suicide every day because of the growing debt, poor harvests and drought. We believe the right to peaceful process is fundamental in any democracy, and I join with many in our communities who are very disturbed by the treatment of Punjabi farmers in India and those who fear for their safety while peacefully protesting. On behalf of the many worried family members in our electorate of McEwen, I urge the Indian government to show restraint and compassion when dealing with protesters. Right across the world, we know that the best way to find a solution to a situation is through dialogue. Dialogue is always better than violence, and I hope that these calls are heard.