Garth Hamilton (Groom, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For three huge days last week tens of thousands of people from all around South-East Queensland poured into Kingsthorpe for the 2021 Elders FarmFest. There was a record-breaking attendance. With traffic lined up all the way along the Warrego and back past Gowrie Mountain, it was a great sign of the recovery of our regions after the event had been cancelled at the height of COVID last year.

FarmFest is a chance for industry and producers to meet and talk about the best new technology that's on offer and to catch up after a tough but very rewarding year. There's everything from big farm machinery to irrigation equipment—it was good to see the people from N-Drip out and about with their drip irrigation technology—and there's great produce on display. FarmFest brings out the best of our agricultural sector and brings it together. It's really a one-stop shop for Queensland ag, and it happens right in the heart of Queensland agriculture, in the true heart of Queensland beef on the magnificent Darling Downs.

It was brilliant to be there, soaking up the atmosphere. People were in a positive mood, feeling very buoyed by the positive turn in their fortunes, with a successful season under their belts and a very good winter crop on the way. It's been a good number of years since we've had a good season and it has certainly been a long time since we've had a good season followed up by a good winter crop. We're very grateful for that. Some years we're counting the number of cracks in that beautiful black soil out past Pittsworth. This year we're counting our blessings, and we're very grateful.

When our farmers are doing well, the rest of our region benefits. Hope finds its way back into little towns and communities and the wheels of our local communities start turning again, and that was certainly the case at FarmFest this year, with some big sales happening. I spoke to one vendor of very large farm equipment who has been faithfully displaying his wares for nigh on 10 years out at FarmFest, but this was the first time he'd ever seen a cheque. FarmFest is a wonderful place to generate business and to get customers excited. But this was the first year he'd made a sale on the spot right there. Confidence was in the air and opportunity was knocking; the agricultural sector is on the up.

This vendor told me he believed people were in the mood to spend, in part because of the successful initiatives of government, like the tax relief and, in particular, the instant asset write-off, which allows businesses to claim back 100 per cent of an eligible purchase. This has been used, in this case, for tractors or farm machinery farmers need to keep themselves operating. That's what these initiatives are all about—encouraging businesses to invest in new technology that will enable them to become more productive and grow their farms.

There was a great array of new tech on display at FarmFest this year. Elders showcased the latest in drone technology. That's a technology that is being taken up more and more on farms around Australia. Vanderfield brought out a huge display of precision ag equipment. There was even a robot-guided weed management system from Dalby Rural Supplies that uses infrared lasers to detect chlorophyll in weeds and target its spray. Once again, we're seeing an industry that's being led by technology. If we look in the Groom area, we've got the wonderful USQ driving that so hard. At FarmFest it's great to see producers reaching out and taking hold of the opportunities that are on offer.